There was simply no reason for it. Absolutely none at all. But since when was the world fair?

Shaking from internal sobs and from the beating he’d just had, the tiny, frail Harry slowly picked himself off the floor and dragged himself towards the makeshift cot in the cupboard. For a moment, he let himself drift off into dreams, dreams that allowed him to see his long deceased parents once again. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vernon Dursley shut the cupboard door with a vicious bang!, locking the door. For once the boy was quiet and obedient. His normal behaviour? Well, the freak certainly hadn’t learned them from him, nor from his wife. Petunia had warned him; it wasn’t until he saw his son fly that he finally believed. Shocked, his face flushing, he reached for his belt, and he continued to beat the boy, firmly believing that his freakishness could be beaten out of him. Finally, when the boy stopped screaming, Dursley unceremoniously dumped him onto the floor and ordered the boy into his cupboard.  

“Vernon, what’re we going to do? We can’t let the neighbours see this,” Petunia said, having finally managed to retrieve Dudley, as he had latched on to the ceiling.

“We’re going to send him back where he came from, Tuni,” he said, resolutely. “We can’t have his kind around here, and Dudley can’t afford to learn your freaky nephew’s…freakishness.”

 “But how?” wailed Petunia. “It’s not like I know any of his kind.”

 “Are you presuming I do?” Vernon was turning redder (if that were possible), and Petunia quickly closed her mouth, knowing better than to infuriate her husband.

 Vernon’s mind, small that it was, was turning quickly. “Tuni, what about that letter you got when you found the freak on our step?”

 “Oh, that letter. Do we still have it? I thought you burned it?” Petunia answered, forgetting Vernon’s temper.

 “You blasted woman!” Vernon yelled, then calmed down as another solution took place in his mind. “What about that woman…Pig? Grapes? With all the cats?”

 “Arabella Figg? You think she’s one of them? She’s crazy, everyone knows, but I don’t thinkr13;”

“Bloody hell, woman! I’m not asking you to think! Just…go see her in the morning,” Vernon interrupted, his voice trailing off. 

“Fine, I will. But don’t you expect any breakfast on the table tomorrow morning. That ought to teach you to respect me.” With that, Petunia stomped off, slamming and locking the door to their bedroom. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Some hours later, Harry awoke to the sounds of his cupboard being unlocked. Maybe Uncle Vernon was going to let him go to the bathroom?

The door creaked open. “Harry?” Dudley whispered. “Are you okay?” 

Harry let out an involuntary whimper. “I hurt.” He bit back the scream coming through, knowing Uncle Vernon would give him hell if he caught them.

Dudley knelt down. “I brought you some towels and water and food. I hope you feel better, ‘Arry.” With that, he closed and locked the door again.

Oh, how he wished there was light in his little cupboard. But more than that, as the tears ran down his little face, he wished someone would love him, just like in his dreams.

On the other side of the United Kingdom, a pale, lean, slightly muscular man bolted upright in his bed, desperately gasping for air. Of all the days for his nightmares to appear, it had to be this one. The anniversary of the day he met the love of his life at the park, some twenty years ago.

He couldn’t get the thoughts of her out of his head. Twisting and turning on the bed…to no avail. “Lumos,” he breathed.

The lights flickered on, showing a gorgeous but threadbare room. He had but recently moved in, having only inherited the house when his uncle had passed on mere months before. Why exactly he had inherited the house was another question altogether. He had seen him but once when he was a child, and he was far from being his only nephew, or relation, for that matter. His thoughts once again snapped back into the present, where his nightmare still lay in the forefront of his mind.

He sighed, and stumbled off the bed, knowing that until he washed his face, he wouldn’t be able to sleep again. He walked down the hall like a man twice his age, and came upon dead ends twice. He really had to do something about getting a washroom installed somewhere…convenient. But a man of habit, he knew he would never get around to it. He was surprised he took residence in this house at all, but it was the fault of that meddling old coot, Albus Dumbledore, who insisted that his last house at Spinner’s End was unsuitable. Who was he to judge?

Severus finally found the washroom. He locked the door, again out of habit. There was no one else in the house, but he found solace in the little actions of his childhood, and the secrecy he maintained, courtesy of his past spying days. Gazing at the mirror, he glared at his reflection, noting the long hair that invariably needed a cut, the bags under his eyes, and lastly, the paleness of his skin. He knew his students joked that he was the “bat of the dungeons,” but he hadn’t realized he looked this terrible. He realized that’s why Dumbledore had requested him to take a change in scenery. But wouldn’t a simple walk in the woods do?

He sighed again, remembering that he had yet another meeting with the old man the next morning. He quickly rinsed his face with water, and looked at his watch. It was only a couple hours ‘til nine, and he might as well get some research done. He knew without a shadow of doubt that he wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At seven-thirty, Vernon Dursley stumbled out of bed. He really needed to get a better mattress in Dudley’s spare room. He nearly broke the springs the night before, probably because of his weight, but he’d be the last to say that. He decided that the mattress company was probably at fault, and resolved to call the company and complain about the poor worksmanship when he got home. At seven-forty-five, he was off and driving towards the nearest McDonald’s, knowing that today, there was free coffee.

Petunia Dursley heard her husband leave. She shuddered, remembering how close he was to hitting her last night. And that tone! Which brought her directly back to her problem, or rather, their problem—one Mr. Harry Potter.

There was no way she was going to talk to…that woman. Why, it would ruin her reputation completely! But if Vernon knew she hadn’t talked to her…well, she’d be in for it. She sighed. “I suppose one visit this early in the morning shouldn’t hurt. I mean, what civilized person gets up before eight?” she spoke to herself.

At around eight, she walked out of the house, knowing that Arabella Figg would be awake already, having once dropped Harry off there at that time. She walked up the steps, shuddering at the décor, and rung the doorbell.

“Why, good morning, Mrs. Dursley. Do I have to babysit little Harry today? It really wouldn’t be a problem,” Mrs. Figg said.

“Oh, no, I’ve come for an entirely different thing, Mrs. Figg. May I come in?” Petunia answered, hiding her disgust.

“Oh, where are my manners! Of course, please do,” Mrs. Figg replied, gushing.

They sat down in the living room, and Mrs. Figg proceeded to pour Petunia a cup of tea. “So, what can I do for you, Mrs.  Dursley?”

“Harry did something…last night. Something we’re not entirely comfortable with,” Petunia said.

“You mean, magic?” Petunia groaned. So she was one of those freaks.

“Yes,” Petunia answered. “And we’d really like to give him back to his people. After all, we don’t have any experience in that area.” Mentally, she added, nor do we want to.

“Oh, my,” Mrs. Figg stuttered. “I don’t know anything about that, now, dearie.”

She continued, “You see, I don’t have any magic of my own. So I wouldn’t really know at all.”

Petunia’s face contorted, as if she couldn’t figure if she should grimace, or smile. “That’s all right, Mrs. Figg. But could you possibly get in touch with Bumbledorf? Tuddlydook? Err…what’s-his-name…”

“Dumbledore,” Mrs. Figg supplied.

“Ah, that’s right. And please tell him of our predicament, would you?” With that, Petunia got off the couch. “I really must be going now.”

“Oh, all right,” said Mrs. Figg.

“Please, don’t get up. I can let myself out,” Petunia replied, revolted at what her new pants had acquired: cat hair. She quickly left the house, and walked into her own. Scrambling up the stairs, she changed as fast as she could, eager to get the smell of old-ness and cats off of her.

Mrs.Figg didn’t know what to do. She’d had a nagging suspicion that the Dursleys were not all that they seemed, and over the past three, no, four years next week, they only grew over time. But did Dumbledore listen? Of course not.

“I know what’s best, my dear,” he had chided her. “Best”, her foot! Harry was definitely underfed, and the last time, he had come over sporting a black eye, probably from that whale of his uncle. His cousin was a decent child, but at the rate his parents were acting, he wouldn’t be for long. Every time Harry came over, she fed him as much as she could. At the time, she thought that was all she could’ve done. But now, she resolved, she would rescue Harry, no matter the cost. Now where was that confounded owl?

“Never mind,” she spoke to herself. “I’ll just write it first.”

She took out her dwindling supply of paper, and a pen.

Dear Headmaster Dumbledore,

It has come to my attention-  

No, that was too formal. She thought again.

Dear Headmaster,

This is in regards to Harry. I have reason to suspect that-

No, that was no good either. She crumpled the paper into a ball, and threw it onto the ground.

 Dear Headmaster,

Petunia Dursley visited me today. She…seems to dislike magic, and I fear for Harry. She also asked me if we would be able to take Harry back. I know you’ve said that that wouldn’t be a good idea, since Harry is safest at his relatives. But I don’t think that the Dursleys want him anymore, and even though it might be safe from You-Know-Who’s followers, but I fear that the utmost danger is not from them, but from his own relatives. He has come to my place several times, sporting bruises. If you cannot take him, I will willingly do so.

Sincerely,

Arabella Figg

That was better. Now where was that owl when you needed him?

----------------------------------------------------------

Dumbledore opened his owl post with a frown. Severus was due in half an hour, and he probably wouldn’t want to see this. No, definitely not at all. He put it aside for later contemplation, and quickly popped a lemon drop into his mouth.

A knock sounded. “Come in,” Dumbledore said. As expected, Severus was on time. He walked in, his cloak billowing behind him.

“Well, that’s a new colour, Severus,” Dumbledore smiled. “It’s much better than the black you normally wear.”

Severus nodded. Internally, he kicked himself for deciding to wear the midnight blue, even though he’d thought that it wouldn’t really have made a difference. To move the conversation off his clothes, he asked, “What do you need me for, Headmaster?”

“Please, Severus, call me Albus. Lemon drop?” he offered.

“Headmaster, I despise those over-sweetened candies, and you know that well. Why must you insist on asking time and time again?” Severus’s face contorted. “Now really, why exactly are we having this meeting? Or do you have more time on your hands-”

“Now, now, Severus. I merely wanted to inquire of your well-being. After all, you’ve just moved into your house. Is it to your liking?”

Before Severus could answer, an owl bulleted into the room, scattering the paper.

“What in the name of Merlin?!?” Severus pulled out his wand.

Dumbledore waved his hand. “No need, my dear Severus. Ginger here is merely overexcited. Ah, let’s see…” He unfolded the letter, quickly perusing it. “Oh, my. Why that won’t do at all.”

His eyes lit up. “Severus, are you by any chance busy this afternoon?”

Severus internally groaned. He knew that there’d be something. What a round of bad luck. And of course, even if he did refuse, well, he couldn’t really, not having a choice to begin with. “I was going to finish refurbishing my new…acquisition today,” he answered smoothly.

“That can wait,” Dumbledore replied, proving Severus’s point that he really had no choice in the matter. In some aspects, Dumbledore was like the Dark Lord, such as the inability to say no.

“What is the matter?” asked Severus, thinking, Might as well get this over with.  

“I need you to see Mrs. Figg,” Dumbledore replied, and his eyes twinkled.

“You want me to go see the Potter brat,” Severus stated flatly.

“He is hardly a brat,” Dumbledore protested, his eyes twinkling madly now. “But yes, I want to be assured of his well-being.”

“He’s probably being pampered to high heavens! For Merlin’s sake, he’s the Boy-Who-Lived,” Severus sneered, no longer able to control his rage. He, look after the results of his worst enemy and his love. The product of his mistake.

Dumbledore’s voice cut through the fog in his mind. “I’m not asking you to look after him, merely to see whether or not he is being taken care of. Mrs. Figg has indicated that all may not be what it seems, and it concerns me.” Seeing that Severus was not paying attention still, he added softly, “Please, Severus, do it for me.”

Severus’s head shot up from shock. Had Dumbledore just begged him? Finally, he snarled, “Fine, I’ll do it.”

He grabbed the floo powder, tossed it into the fireplace, and shouted, “Arabella Figg’s house!”

He disappeared.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Harry moaned. He could see the light filter in from the tiny crack in the cupboard door, showing that morning had finally arrived. He didn’t understand at all. What had he done wrong? His tiny body shook from holding in sobs. The kids on telly always looked so happy, and they always had people who loved them. Why was he different? Oh, yes, he was the freak. He didn’t deserve to live, and definitely not even eat.

He heard the door slam. Aunt Petunia was muttering again. Maybe she was going to take him out and give him a hug? His eyes lit up at that thought. But then his face twisted, realizing that for him, there would be no hugs, at least not from this quarter.

He crawled towards the stale water in the bowl Dudley had given him last night. It was almost all gone. Did he use some last night? He remembered dumping the towel into the bowl, to wipe the blood off of him. Surely he couldn’t have used that much? But there it was, as clear as day: less than one-seventh of the bowl left. At least he still had some of that chocolate bar Dudley had given him. Dudley was pretty nice at home, but mean when he was around his friends. Maybe that was how other boys acted? He wouldn’t know. Dudley would know, ‘cause he was a year older. Whatever a year was. Aunt Petunia was always saying that. I beat you this time, Lily, my boy’s a year older than yours, her voice echoed in his head. Lily was his mum’s name. She died in a car crash a long time ago.  Sometimes, he wished his mum hadn’t left him. He could still sometimes hear her voice in his head. His dad, though, was the puzzle. Harry didn’t remember anything at all about him.

It didn’t matter anyways. His aunt said that he was a “good-for-nothing-drunk.” That definitely didn’t sound good at all. Suddenly, he heard a loud noise upstairs. 

Petunia dropped her most expensive perfume in shock, shattering the bottle. She didn’t even notice. Dudley, on the other hand, had gaped in shock when he had come running out of his first bedroom. He knew firsthand how expensive that stuff was; it was hard not to when all his mom could do was brag to her friends about it. Of course, Petunia Dursley had every reason to be shocked: everything in Dudley’s second bedroom was floating. At first, she thought that everything had been strung up by the ceiling, but even the mattress was floating. As the initial shock fled, she screamed, “HARRY POTTTER!!!!”

She stormed down the stairs, and her badly shaking hands could barely get the lock opened. She slammed the door open, and Harry whimpered in fear. Not even noticing this, she grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and dragged him upstairs.

“WHA-WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, YOU FREAK?!?”

The tone in his aunt’s voice was definitely not good. But he hadn’t strung everything up, had he? He hadn’t even been in this room before. But his aunt’s voice brooked no argument. When Harry finally spoke, Petunia didn’t even listen. She dragged him down the stairs, and threw him out of the house.

Dudley had finally gotten around to seeing his other room’s state of being. He, literally, was amazed: his jaw dropped, and his eyes glazed over. His mother, seeing this, mistook his body language as a sign of shock, and propped him up on her lap—once they left the room.

Unfortunately for Harry, he didn’t enjoy the luxury Dudley was enjoying; no, he was outside in the pouring rain, sitting in the mud. At first, it wasn’t too bad. But as the hours passed, he was drenched and cold. Petunia had forgotten all about the boy; his cousin, though, hadn’t. When Petunia picked up the phone to call her friend, Dudley knew she’d take a while, so he ran out, but not before grabbing two raincoats.

----------------------------------------------------------

And that was how Severus found them. To him, it looked like two little boys playing in the rain, splashing around and making a general mess of things. Of course, the over-large raincoat Harry was wearing didn’t help either, as it completely covered all of his bruises. His face twisted. Abused? THIS is what you call ABUSE? Well, that’s rich. Just because his little saviour isn’t pampered to the extent that he wants, he sends me on a useless errand.

He growled and turned. Dumbledore would be facing his wrath quite soon. But first he had to talk that squib woman. Bet she adored the Boy-Who-Lived, too. There was no end to his fans, it seemed. Of course, it would be James Potter’s son who got all the attention. At this rate, his head would be even more inflated than his dear dead dad.

As his mind was swirling with these murderous, dark thoughts, he suddenly saw the boy’s eyes again. He stopped abruptly, and gasped. Lily’s eyes. Well, no matter…the boy was nothing like Lily. His conscience nudged again, but again, he ignored it. As if, really. Potter ruined it forever, and not even Lily’s eyes could change that fact.

He huffed. Never mind, that talk with Mrs. Figg could wait. It’s not as if she was going anywhere, is she. He disapparated.

----------------------------------------------------------

Harry had the worst luck. If Severus hadn’t been so concentrated on quieting his conscience, he would’ve noticed that the very pair of green eyes that would haunt him that night were focused—right on Severus. And of course, naturally, as he was still very young, his mouth tended to shoot off. Unfortunately, his aunt was in the vicinity, looking for Dudley.

“Dudley, you see da man go whoosh? Like magic!” he giggled gleefully. “I wanna go whoosh—“

“I’ll show you “whoosh,” young man! What have I told you have saying that word?” Petunia asked angrily. “Let’s see how you like it when your uncle comes home!”

Harry wasn’t too scared, until she brought up his uncle. He knew what his uncle was capable of. One time, he had to go to the hospital because he’d had a concussion. Of course, the nurses and doctors had asked him how he’d gotten it, but his uncle had already told him to say, “I fell down the stairs,” or else. He didn’t want to find what “or else” actually meant, given the glare he’d been given, but the doctor gave him a strange look anyways. That night, he’d had the worst beating of his life—with a long wooden spoon.

By the time he finished thinking about it, he was already in the cupboard, too late to run.

----------------------------------------------------------

It was too bad for Arabella Figg that Severus changed his mind. After disapparating to Hogsmeade, he realized Dumbledore would want to know why Arabella Figg had lied to them. So he disapparated back to Privet Drive, and stormed into the house without knocking. Within minutes, Arabella Figg was cowering in a corner of her house. Ridiculous, really. She was, after all, in her own house and many, many, many years older than the young man giving her the lecture. It wasn’t really her fault; after all, Severus Snape was a known former Death Eater. Sure, Albus Dumbledore said he’d reformed, but really, you never quite knew whether or not it was true.

“—pampered, cosseted brat! And don’t you damn well tell me he’s abused,” Severus hissed, then his voice dropped. “I know when children are abused.  And Harry blasted Potter is not one of them. You made that up, didn’t you,” he smirked. “You just want Dumbledore to pay you more, spineless fool that he is.”

At this, Arabella Figg sputtered. `Now, look here, young man. You may insult me—”

“And precisely what do you think I’ve been doing for the last half an hour?” he drawled sarcastically. “In any case, I don’t have any time for this.”

He tossed Floo powder into the fireplace, and he called, “Prince House!”

As he came through his fireplace, the chimney decided to dump a whole ton of soot on his head. He shook his head. That was a brand new cloak, too. No matter. He quickly performed a Scourgify on himself, and tossed the cloak onto the couch.

Really fantastic luck he’d had lately. He went into his room to change into more comfortable clothes: a pair of blue jeans, a white polo shirt, and a black-and-grey-checkered vest. Tying his hair back, he went to work, moving appliances into the various areas of the house. By mid-afternoon, he decided it was about time to cook something for lunch, but before he even stepped into the kitchen, someone knocked at the door.

He opened the door. A sheepish mailman stood on the front porch, looking quite disoriented.

“Yes,” Severus said impatiently. “I don’t have all day. Get about your business or I’ll escort you off my property.”

“Ah, you see, sir,” here, he blushed quite profusely. “We recently found a letter that had gotten lost. This is from three years ago, sir. We’d just like you to sign here, and I’ll be gone.” He extended his clipboard to Severus.

Muggles, really. Mail lost for three years? Severus signed the paper, and the mailman tossed the letter into his hands, then ran for his life. He needn’t had to, since Severus suddenly felt quite overwhelmed.

---------------------------------------------------------

Dudley was confused. His cousin hadn’t done anything, had he? But his mom had given him one of those talks. The ones where she insisted Harry was a bad influence and that Duddlykins should not play with him if he could help it. His teacher said that it was best that everyone be friends with everyone else, or people would get hurt. Was his mom telling him to hurt Harry? But mommy would never tell me something like that, thought Dudley. Maybe there was something wrong with Harry.

“Duddlykins! Your friend Piers is at the door!” his mom shouted from the front. Harry could wait. After all, it wasn’t as if he was actually hurt, right?

For a while, Dudley was right. But as day turned to night, Harry began to shiver uncontrollably in his cupboard, and finally put the blanket around him. He hadn’t done so before, because he didn’t want to get it dirty. As the hours ticked by, he wrapped towels around himself. He couldn’t stop shivering. Needless to say, he didn’t know he was running a high fever, and definitely didn’t know how dangerously close he was to getting pneumonia. As he faded into unconsciousness, his magic kicked in.

---------------------------------------------------------

Petunia Dursley, had she known, wouldn’t have cared less. After all, what was a freak like him worth? He had tried to bewitch Dudley, and he’d tried to kill him too, never mind that he wasn’t in that room at the time. She was fully expecting to rant to her husband that night about her horrible day. Funny thing was, he hadn’t come home yet, and it was coming close to 9 already. She hadn’t panicked yet, since sometimes he did work late, but every time he did, he had called home. So she placed dinner in the stove, and made sure it stayed warm.

Ten went by, then eleven. Finally, she took out a portion of the meal and gave it to Dudley, so he could go to bed. By twelve, she was panicky. Where the hell was he?

Finally, at twelve thirty, Vernon Dursley drove up the driveway. Petunia rushed out of the house, unsure whether her response should be to greet or scold him. She managed both.

“Vernon!” She cried, then her voice hardened. “Where the hell have you been?!? I waited all night for you, and don’t you dare tell me you were working. That freak—” Here she cut off, remembering she was outside. Her tone changed. “Vernon, why don’t we talk over dinner? I’m just going to go in and take out the casserole.”

“Err, y-yes, Petunia. I’ll be right there. J-just let me park the car,” Vernon stuttered, no longer sure whether or not his wife was sane anymore.  

Albus Dumbledore was worried. So worried, in fact, that he had lost the twinkle in his eye. In the first time in years, his robes were a solid colour, with no fancy design on them at all. The source of his worry? One Severus Snape.

Earlier, he had received a rather slipshod letter from Remus Lupin. That in itself was cause for worry, since Remus’s work was normally impeccably neat. The contents, however, nearly stopped his heart. Remus, in the letter, had been going through the Black family vault, and had found something quite disturbing. So disturbing that Albus suddenly felt all 111 years of his life and then some. He was about to peruse the letter a bit more, when Minerva McGonagall, in the form of her Animagus, came in.

“My dear Minerva, what can I do for you today?”

She transformed. “Arabella Figg has sent me quite a disturbing missive, Albus. She was fairly distraught, writing about the horrors Harry has had to endure, and—” here, she paused for effect. “The fact that you chose our dear colleague Severus to inspect, where he then proceeded to give her a tongue-lashing for half an hour—for lying. What on earth were you thinking, Albus?”

Albus chuckled. “Severus must have seen something in order to do something so drastic.”

“Drastic? He accused her of lying about the abuse! And you and I both know that Arabella would die before anything could harm Harry. Why on earth would you send Severus? You know he hated James for stealing his beloved. And cute as Harry is, he is almost an exact replica of that boy,” she exclaimed. “Could you for once stop meddling in things and just do things right the first time? Honestly, Albus, you can be so obstinate. Now, if you won’t check on the little boy, I will do it.”

She huffed, and started tapping her foot, noticing that Albus was still looking at her with an amused look. “Why can’t you trust me, Minerva? You know I have the child’s best interest in mind.”

“Oh, yes, even though I specifically warned against placing the child at the Dursleys, and now look what they’ve done! It’s been barely three years, Albus,” Minerva replied.

“Oh, but there are greater powers at work,” Albus said absentmindedly. “Don’t worry, I will check up on the child, soon enough.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Albus. I don’t want another child to suffer the way Severus did,” replied Minerva softly. “Now, I bid you good day. I’ll see you at dinner.”

With that, she exited the room, and the door creaked shut.

---------------------------------------------------------

Of course, Minerva McGonagall was going to check up on Harry, regardless of what Albus said. For all his wisdom, sometimes he forgot the value of human life, especially when he was deep in thought. But even Minerva couldn’t see the utter chaos the Dursleys would soon thrust the wizarding world into.

Instead of taking the Floo, she decided to walk into Hogsmeade and apparate from there to Privet Drive. She had no intention of being influenced by Arabella; for all the words Minerva spoke on her behalf, in truth, she knew that Arabella often exaggerated, and made situations far worse than they seemed. As soon as she arrived, though, she transformed into her Animagus form: a silver tabby cat. She didn’t want Harry or his family noticing strange people around; it would only serve to anger or create fear. She was correct in this aspect; but she was quite late to prevent anything of that sort from happening; after all, Severus wasn’t exactly careful, was he.

Nothing seemed amiss in this quiet Muggle neighbourhood. Over the next street, she could hear a dog barking, but she knew she was safe for now. Minerva saw Dudley playing in the mud, and didn’t really think much of it. Had she but looked closer, she would’ve noticed the blood. She didn’t, needless to say, and assumed, that since Harry was younger than his cousin by almost a full year, he would be having a nap. Still not quite reassured, she paced around the house several times, but she didn’t hear any sounds other than Petunia’s loud conversation and Dudley’s whoops as he splashed. Finally, after about an hour of this, she left.

----------------------------------------------------------

Vernon Dursley had been late in coming home because he had been dealing in less than appropriate areas of society. To be exact, in the tasteless wizarding end of society. For all his fear of the unknown, what drove him was the fact that he needed to be rid of his nephew—or he’d lose his sanity, what with crashing plates one week and sporadic fires the next.

Unfortunately, the child slave market thrived in both Muggle and wizarding society. Some former Death Eaters had chosen to enter this career path, selling Muggleborns to all sorts of people: from people who couldn’t have magical offspring to the lowest of lows. Yes, that night, Vernon Dursley had finally made a breakthrough in his offer.

So how exactly had he found this place? At work, an unsavoury man he had recently hired walked into his office completely stone drunk. Apparently, he knew of some shady underground business, and as much as Vernon was disgusted with the bloke, he was fascinated. He grew even more fascinated when the drunk proceeded to tell him about the profit he could make by selling a magical child to child dealers. An idea instantly formed in his mind. Why give back the child when he could make a profit instead? He’d had to put up with the child for three long years, and all the shenanigans that came with the freak. Even now, as the freak was about to turn four, he could barely speak. That just proved how unnatural these freaks were.

That night, when he’d gone home, dishevelled and exhausted, Vernon told Petunia. Of course, Petunia had doubts, until Vernon had told her that they could choose the prospective buyer. That assured her, and she agreed. Before even touching his dinner, Vernon sprinted out to the car, gasping for breath as his bulk delayed his journey to the car. Finally, he opened the door and took out an owl; he quickly scrawled out a message of acceptance. Harry Potter’s fate was sealed. 

Or was it? All Harry knew was that the week after were the best of his life. He ate all the food he wanted, played with toys he’d only dreamed of having, and his aunt and uncle had even permitted him to sleep in Dudley’s room. When his birthday rolled around, he even got a cake and a few presents. Nothing special, just a couple of balls and such, but to a boy who had never had any presents his entire life (that he knew of), this was heaven.

This wasn’t done without reason. After years of abuse, did the Dursleys suddenly have a paradigm shift? No, they knew that a happy child would sell for more. As despicable as they were, they thought that they were doing the best for the child and for them. After all, the child would grow up with the wizarding community, and they’d be rid of the freakishness for once and for all. So for once, they bided their time, and waited patiently.

Arabella Figg, to say in the least, was confused. What had caused this turnaround? Awfully suspicious, She owled Minerva again. Minerva, of course, went to Albus. And what did Professor Dumbledore do? Smile genially, with the twinkle in his eye going on full force.

Severus, of course, was stuck in some corner of his new house, languishing in the dark, in agony over the letter he had been given.

There was no one to play the hero for the little boy, not a single person.

----------------------------------------------------------

Vernon Dursley took the entire week before that day off, keen on finalizing all the final touches of the hand-over.

It was actually a good thing Nott and Goyle weren’t aware of who the child in question was. Of course, they never thought to ask, either.  Business had been booming, and they couldn’t afford to lose any time. So of course, they arranged for a date as the final deadline rather impersonally: August 4th.  But before that, they had to introduce various customers to the Dursleys.

Vernon was willing to hand over the boy to the first person who approached. Petunia, on the other hand, hesitated at each turn. She had turned down three potential buyers already, saying one looked suspicious, another didn’t offer enough money, and one, strangely enough, was too ugly. At this rate, Vernon might very well just try the auction system.

As the final deadline approached, Vernon became increasingly anxious. Anything could go wrong: the police would find out (did the wizarding world have police?), Petunia would make him withdraw the offer, or heaven forbid, those two shady characters would kill him. Offers still came in steadily, but Petunia had habitually declined all of them —except one.

----------------------------------------------------------  

Professor Dumbledore was visited upon by two Aurors in the early morning of July 30th.

“Good morning, Kingsley, Moody. Lemon drops?” he offered.

“Err, no thanks, Albus,” Kingsley replied. Why was he always so nervous around this man?

“Enough with this foolishness, old man,” Moody said gruffly. “We’ve come about important business, here.”

Dumbledore smiled genially, totally unfazed by Moody’s attitude. “So what can I do for you today, gentlemen?”

“We need to borrow Severus, Professor,” confessed Kingsley. “And we can’t find him. He’s moved, apparently, and he hasn’t registered his address yet.”

“That’s odd,” Dumbledore replied, with a frown. “Severus should have finished re-decorating his house by now. He told me he was going to register his change of address on the 28th, but today’s already the 30th.”

“Is the boy all right?” Moody asked.

Kingsley laughed. “I never thought I’d ever hear you ask about the well-being of Severus, seeing as you hate him so.”

Moody glared at him. “Well, we need him, don’t we?”

“And what do you need him for, Alastor?” asked Dumbledore mildly.

“We need him for a mission,” replied Moody tersely.

“We can tell him, Moody. After all, we don’t know how to get to Severus…Professor Dumbledore is the only way we can reach him,” protested Kingsley.

“Oh, all right. We need him to infiltrate the child slavery market. We’ve picked up a couple of the goons, but they can’t tell us anything. They’re very smart, covering their tracks. But not smart enough. We’ve been catching some of the higher-ups, and they told us a few of the former Death Eaters have gone into business,” finished Moody. “We need Severus to infiltrate, firstly, because he is knowledgeable in that area, and secondly, I know he’s got an extra-strength Polyjuice Potion on hand.”

“My, my, Alastor, you’re so very well informed,” said Dumbledore. “Very well, I shall contact Severus for you. I must see what the boy is up to, in any case.”

“Well, we’ll be on our way then,” said Kingsley, and opened the Floo. As they walked into the Floo though, you could hear Kingsley asking Moody, “How on earth did you know Severus had extra-strength Polyjuice?”

Dumbledore chuckled, long and loud.

---------------------------------------------------------

In the afternoon, Severus suddenly heard his Floo flare to life. He didn’t worry too much; after all, only Dumbledore had access to this house…so far, anyways.

“Severus, my boy?”

Grudgingly, he stood up, and began the long trek to the living room, where the fireplace was located. He knew his eyes were still red, and his hair horribly unkempt, but he really didn’t care at this point.

“Yes?” he asked dully, his eyes too bloated to even consider glaring at the head floating in the green flames.

“Severus, my boy, so glad to see—” Dumbledore paused. “Merlin’s beard, Severus! What have you done to yourself? I’m coming straightaway!”

Within moments he had arrived. “Are you all right, my dear boy?” Dumbledore asked, concerned. He hadn’t seen his boy so upset since Lily’s death.

“This,” he answered, thrusting the letter at Dumbledore. Noticing Lily’s beautiful handwriting on the outside of the envelope, his hand shook as he accepted the letter.

“I received this letter a week ago.” Severus’s voice faltering as he struggled to keep the emotion in. “Read it. Really, go on. I insist.”

Dumbledore nodded, mute.

My dearest Severus,

I have come to make amends with you, dear one. I know we parted on bad terms, but ever since that day, I have felt as if a vital part of me has gone missing. Can we start again, Sev?

I wait eagerly for your reply. I love you.

Lily

“She died a week after this was written! I nev-never got the chance to tell her—” his voice caught, and a ragged sob came out. Taking a deep breath, he continued, whispering, “I loved her too, and I too, regretted that argument…”

He sagged, and Dumbledore barely caught him. “Oh, Severus, I’m so sorry.”

Huge, wracking sobs shook Severus’s body. The two men stood there for a long time, as Dumbledore rubbed his back over and over again, consoling him, as only a father could to his son. 

Albus Dumbledore knew that he could not possibly tell Severus of his assignment any time soon, realistically, in consideration of his mental state. However, on the other hand, Alastor Moody was well known for his patience, or the lack thereof. 

But Severus proved him wrong, yet again. After the last devastating night, he pulled through and shook himself out of his depression. Dumbledore, now, debated whether or not (IF he told him or not), in telling him, would push him back over the edge. But Severus, as keen-eyed as ever, knew Dumbledore was withholding something from him. And though he did not even try to wheedle whatever it was out of the old man, his glares every so often were enough to unnerve Dumbledore. Finally he told him. Instead of bursting out in rage and anger, like he so typically did, he dumbly agreed. Dumbledore, to be frank, was astonished. Though, upon reflection, he realized that maybe something like this would take his mind off of Lily – for the time being, anyways.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Kingsley Shacklebolt was relieved. He’d been so nervous around his former Headmaster, and knew that Dumbledore wouldn’t take kindly to having Aurors asking for his beloved protégé. Of course, in his typical arrogance, Moody had told him not to worry. And right after that, Dumbledore had owled to say that Snape had agreed. Really, where did this man get his information?

In any case, right now, Severus Snape was due to meet them in about half an hour. Why was he so nervous? After all, he was older than him…and he had more…power, didn’t he? But everyone knew that Snape was the strongest of his generation – and he had chosen the Dark side. Which meant, one: he knew more vicious spells than the average Death Eater, heck, average anyone, and two, it was bad news in general to be on the other side when Snape was around. But…Dumbledore said he’d come over to the Light. Well, that still remained to be seen…

“Shacklebolt! Stop wimping around in your panties and let’s go!” shouted Moody, even more on edge than usual. He was already close to thirty years on the job. It almost made Kingsley re-consider becoming an Auror, after he saw that Moody was an absolute nutcase. Well, other than Moody, the job was absolutely worth it. Dangerous, yes, but altogether well-rewarding…for an adrenaline junkie.

Kingsley snapped out of his daydream, and stumbled off his chair. Totally not dignified, but it woke him up. Soon, they were on the Floo, on their way to Hogwarts.

---------------------------------------------------------

“Snape,” said Moody in greeting. Severus only nodded in response.

“Severus…may I call you that?” At Severus’s nod, Shacklebolt continued. “We are currently looking at two exchanges: one of a half-blood child – this one was kidnapped from his home, and the other…Muggles selling their child. The child is magical, obviously...what I don’t understand is why they’d…never mind. Would you like to look at the files?”

Severus took the two files, and paused to peruse the information. This one would be easy: it was Parkinson, after all. An arrogant, know-it-all Death Eater, his ego was his fatal flaw. He looked up, having noticed that Shacklebolt was talking again.

“Pardon, I didn’t catch that last bit,” said Severus. “Do you mind repeating yourself?”

“Oh, I was about to ask you if you wanted to take one of the missions,” said Shacklebolt. “Of course, Moody and I will be back-up…

“That’s fine,” replied Severus curtly, and picked up the other file. “Evan Dursley”, it was titled. Why did that seem so familiar? He opened it, and nearly dropped the file. There was no lightning bolt, and his face was slightly different, but it couldn’t be denied: those were Lily’s eyes. The age was all wrong too. But that was typical, right? Dursley. That was Petunia’s married name…which meant this child was Harry. He couldn’t let the Aurors on to it, given the secrecy that Dumbledore had enshrouded the entire situation. He calmed himself, and willed on a mental mask.

“I want this one,” he said, his voice brooking no argument. “Parkinson will be easily handled, if you flatter him enough.”

“Are you sure?” asked Shacklebolt. “These are Death Eaters, you know.”

“I am well aware of that, Kingsley. Nott and Crabbe are nothing, for all that there are two of them. I will take the boy, and you will take care of those…idiots,” snapped Severus. “If we are done, I will take your leave.”

Knowing that they were dismissed, Moody and Shacklebolt (actually, only Kingsley) exclaimed their thanks and left.

-------------------------------------------------------  

“YOU MEDDLING OLD MAN!  How DARE you!! You knew he’d be there; that’s the reason why you sent me on that blasted mission, isn’t it?” fumed Severus.

Eyes twinkling, Dumbledore replied, as if confused, “I have no idea what you’re going on about, my boy.”

“HARRY BLOODY POTTER is one of those...on sale! You DARE risk his life, just because I refused to believe the propaganda you’ve set up! You interfering bastard!” Dumbledore had never seen Severus so angry. Not even when…well, that was for another time. He had to focus on calming Severus down.

“Listen, Severus. I never knew the Dursleys would place him in the market. And now that they have…it’s’ almost as if we can kill two birds with one stone. We can effectively capture all those involved, and take the guardianship off of the Dursleys, with no interference,” Dumbledore calmly said. “I had no idea they would ask you. But it makes it all the sweeter, doesn’t it? Lemon drop, Severus?”

“You know I hate those,” drawled Severus, then continued on. “Do I take the boy away secretly? Or do you want the public to know? You and I both know how chaotic that could turn out – Muggles selling the Boy-Who-Lived.”

“You raise a good point, Severus,” said Dumbledore thoughtfully. “We’ll have to consult with Moody – ”

“Moody and Shacklebolt have not realised that the child is Potter,” sneered Severus. “The idiots that they are. We may proceed as is, or you could inform them of our “new” development.”

“They are trustworthy, Severus, you know that. They’re both members of the Order, and if we ask that they remain silent, they will. I have absolute confidence in both of you. Now, the only problem is…who will take the child?” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled yet again. “Ah well, we can discuss that when you come back. Have you decided on your disguise yet?”

“Petunia…she’d know me right away. I haven’t changed all that much in the last ten years, and I know she still hates me for ‘taking away Lily.’ And in the file I looked, Petunia has rejected every offer. The criteria she has…is impossible, unless the person is adopting Potter, I believe. In that case, we’ll need a harshman….How can I be a man who endorses corporal punishment, Headmaster, after everything I’ve been through?” Severus was so very close to cracking.

“Hmmm…and we can’t borrow any identities of people well-known, or I would suggest asking Dolores Umbridge.” Dumbledore shuddered at the thought. “What about that cousin of yours that disappeared five years ago? You still have his belongings, don’t you?” At Severus’ nod, he continued. “Perfect. There you go. And the man was a recluse, anyways, so that should hold. As for money, I’ll take care of that. Now go, you need time to prepare the Polyjuice, don’t you?”

“I do. Are you sure of this, Headmaster?” asked Severus.

“Do I catch a hint of concern for the Potter boy, Severus?” teased Dumbledore. “Now go on with you. I’ll see you at lunch.”

With a nod, Severus swooped out of the room, his robes billowing behind him.

-------------------------------------------------------

Vernon was fuming. His wife had rejected yet another customer, and the sales reps (if they can be called that) were becoming testy. Didn’t she know they were in danger? God knows what those men had done before. If she didn’t take the next caller…

The telephone rang. “Hello?” answered Vernon.

“Dursley, you’ve got another one. And this one you better take, or else. We’ve got other business to be about. His name is Prince. Rainer Prince. He’ll be meeting you at the usual place today at 3. He wants to see the boy too.”

The phone slammed. Finally, a chance at redemption. Petunia should come with him as well…his sister Marge would be willing to take in Dudley. And they would probably have to make Harry presentable. His damned hair!  The last time Petunia had shaved it. And typical of the freak, it’d grown back – even longer. He had wanted to pull out his own hair that morning. In the end, they had left it. What if it had decided to grow tentacles? Vernon shuddered at the thought. No, the sooner the freak was gone, the better.

“Petunia!!” he roared. “Come down already, woman!”

“What’s the matter with you, Vernon?” Petunia stumbled down the stairs, evidently weary, having just woken up from her nap.

“We’re leaving now. We’ve got a new customer…and those people said you have to accept this one or the deal is off. I think he’s really important…so get dressed. And hurry up! And get the boy ready too!” stormed Vernon.

 “All right, all right. Don’t get your pants all wound up,” said Petunia, then sickeningly sweetly called up the stairs, “Harry dear, we need to go. Could you please come down?”

“Me come!” said Harry. That stupid boy didn’t even know how to talk. Thank God they had written that he was two, instead of the four he had just turned. The little boy scrambled down the stairs, his eyes wide with excitement. “Where we going, Aun’ Pe’uni?”

“Never you mind. Have you got your best outfit on? Hurry, boy,” said Petunia, rushed, not knowing what would happen if Vernon blew a gasket. Well, she did have some idea…and it wasn’t pretty.

“I done, Aun’ Pe’uni!” It would have to do. Maybe the customer would like messy hair? Now, that was a thought. She snapped out of her musings when she heard Vernon honking the car horn. Definitely not a good sign. “C’mon Harry. We have to go.”

----------------------------------------------------------

It took half an hour to get there. Thankfully, they were the first ones there. Petunia would die of shame if she was ever late to a sale like this. Though technically…this would be only a one-time thing.

After waiting for about five minutes, a Porsche drove up, and parked in the designated spot right beside their Mercedes. The man stepped out of a car, seeming to glide out. He walked over to Vernon.

`Vernon Dursley, I presume?” The man said in a high fluty tone.

“Yes. And you are…Mr. Prince?” stuttered Vernon. If they could close this deal…Vernon could just see the money pouring down.

Petunia stepped forward, and stuck out her hand. “I’m Petunia Dursley.”

Rainer Prince (also known as Severus Snape) took the hand almost distastefully. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Dursley.”

“So Mr. Prince, why would you like to…enter into an agreement over this child?” asked Petunia. Vernon almost screamed in frustration. How could she be so stupid?

Mr. Prince laughed. “He reminds me of my younger brother…who passed on quite a while ago. And…as I am unable to have children, I would like an heir to my estate. Of course, the child will be brought up the way I was: with corporal punishment. Children often seem to need a good hit before they’re ready to behave, don’t you agree?”

Petunia’s eyes gleamed. “Yes, yes, how wonderfully adept you are, Mr. Prince!”

“Now, Mr. Dursley, how much do you propose for me to give you in exchange for this child?” asked the man.

“Umm…if you’ll please give us a second. I need to consult with my wife,” mumbled Vernon. “Petunia?”

“ask for $100 000. He can afford it; look at him!”

“Sir, for the meagre sum of $100 000, we will be willing to hand this child over to you,” said Vernon, his marketing mode on.

Behind the mental mask, Severus blanched. $100 000? “$10 000 isn’t even worth that much,” he replied, withholding his normal sneer. God, Petunia would recognize that in a second!

Vernon replied, “How about $50 000?”

Severus quickly shot off, “$20 000.” He was hoping oh-so-desperately they’d take it. Quickly too, since he could see the two Death Eaters inching towards them.

“Deal,” stated Vernon. The flow of cash changed hands quickly. As Severus turned to grab Harry, the Death Eaters rushed towards them and yelled, “Stay where you are! Nobody move!”

“Stupid Muggles,” muttered Nott. “Evan Dursley, eh? You don’t even have a nephew, Dursley!”

“But you do, Ms. Evans. Lily Evans’s son, HARRY POTTER!” cried Goyle.

Severus wished his wand was within reach…now he’d give himself away through his wandless and silent spell. But before he could, a ringing “STUPEFY!” echoed in the air.

Severus threw up a shield, sheltering himself and Harry effectively. The Dursleys weren’t so lucky, caught in the crossfire. Goyle and Nott rapidly fired spells, not caring whether or not the attacker was on their side.

“What are you waiting for, Severus?” hissed a voice, vaguely familiar. “Run!”

Severus jolted out of his daydream, and quickly grabbed onto Harry, and grasped the portkey. When Nott and Goyle looked around, the two of them were long gone – having made their way to Hogwarts.

The unknown attacker, seeing that they were safe, disapparated away – and Moody and Shacklebolt finished the job, collaring the two Death Eaters and the Dursleys. They now had enough evidence that the Dursleys were in no way fit parents – and they would make sure that no child would ever go near them again.

Dudley was given to his Aunt Marge; the Dursleys went to prison. The Death Eaters were very, very close to getting the Dementor’s Kiss, but Lucius Malfoy came to the rescue. Instead, they were given life sentences in Azkaban, seeing as they were only pawns, and not the instigators of the matter.

But not all was well in the happy castles of Hogwarts. No indeed.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Oh, Severus and Harry arrived at Hogwarts safe and sound. What wasn’t so good was the fact that Harry, for some odd reason or another, had had a bout of accidental magic. A very serious bout, actually. His magic had deemed to turn Harry invisible. A scared child (who thought he was in danger) and invisibility did not mix well at all. In fact, as soon as Harry was on the ground, he shot off around the corner, leaving Severus very bewildered and confused. He thought he had grabbed the boy; where on earth did he go?

He sighed. What a colossal failure he was! Where was the calm exterior he exuded in stress? Had he lost his sanity when Lily’s letter had arrived? He drank the counter potion to his Polyjuice. How comfortable he felt in his own skin. He sighed, then decided to make his way to Dumbledore’s office, not at all eager to discuss his failure with the old man. But as he was about to open the door, the Bloody Baron floated up to him.

“Professor Snape, may I have a word?” asked the Bloody Baron.

Severus nodded. What did the ghost want to do with him? There weren’t any children in Hogwarts right now.

“Several suits of armour have been knocked over on the second floor, and we cannot find the cause. Peeves swore it wasn’t him, and the house elves do not know either,” said the Bloody Baron. “Could you perhaps investigate for us?”

“That’s odd. If we were in September I would blame the children. But there aren’t any children…Harry,” he breathed. “Thank you, Baron. I will look into it right away.”

He called up a map of  Hogwarts, locating the suits of armour the Baron had mentioned. He ran all the way down, no longer caring whether or not his walk was refined, causing Sybil Trelawney to walk into a wall in shock. What if Harry went to the dungeons? Then he’d be in trouble. The child probably didn’t know how to swim!

Luckily for him, he could now hear the crashes. As he neared the site, he saw a helmet seemingly floating. Harry.

“Harry?” whispered Severus. “Look at me, child.”

“Who you?” Severus could barely hear his words through his sobs.

“I’m Severus…your mother’s friend,” said Severus, mentally hitting himself for not having introduced himself earlier.

“Mommy?” said Harry brightly, and slowly faded into existence. “You Mommy’s friend?”

Something in Severus melted. “Yes, Harry. Would you like to come with me?”

“Me want home,” said Harry. “You bwing home?”

“I’ll bring you home, Harry. Now, boy, would you like to walk or do you want me to carry you?” asked Severus, almost affectionately now.

“Me want wide!” exclaimed Harry. No one had ever asked him if he wanted a ride.

All right, Harry, up we go!” said Severus. How he wished this was his child!

Wheeeee!” screamed Harry.

“Shhh, child, not so loud. You’re hurting my ears,” said Severus lightly.

Apparently, Harry didn’t catch the tone in his voice. “Pwease don’ hit me!” he screamed, and tried to wrench his way off of Severus.

“Harry!” exclaimed Severus, and sent the child into a further frenzy. He continued in a calmer voice, “Harry, I will never ever hit you. Listen to me. You are safe here.”

Severus rubbed his back, until Harry’s screams died into sobs, and gradually into sniffles. There was a huge wet spot on Severus’s shoulder, but he didn’t even notice. Slowly, they made their way to Dumbledore’s office.

--------------------------------------------------------

Dumbledore’s plan was falling into place. It was most beneficial that Harry had had that reaction; now, Severus would probably have fallen in love with the child…and hopefully, would take him in. After all, the Severus’s new house was for that sole purpose: so that he could raise Harry. Not that he’d ever tell Severus. No, rather let Severus think it was his own idea. That would be best.

Ever since he had received that letter from Remus, this plan had been placed into motion. A knock at the door interrupted his musings. Ah, that must be Severus now.

“Come in,” said Dumbledore.

“I’ve found our wayward hero, Headmaster,” said Severus. The boy was asleep, suckling on his thumb, and resting on Severus’s shoulder.  Yes, all was turning well.

“So Severus…I suppose we need to discuss who this child’s guardian should be,” said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling full-force. “The Weasleys have volunteered, as have the Malfoys, and so has Remus…but you and I both know these candidates are inappropriate. As the Wizengamot has chosen me to make the ultimate decision,” here, he shrugged. “I know I could do it, as could Minerva, but we’d spoil the child horribly.”

And well Severus knew it. He knew Dumbledore was asking him indirectly, and he followed along…for once. “Headmaster, I am not an appropriate candidate either, well you know. Yes, though I owe Lily a debt…but how can I raise a child when I myself have not had a good childhood?”

“Don’t belittle yourself, Severus. I think you would make a wonderful father,” replied Dumbledore.

“No, it’d be better for me to look after him afar rather than for me to be his sole guardian. Ask Lupin,” said Severus vehemently.

But Dumbledore was saved from replying. Harry, with wonderful timing, cried, “Daddy!"

“See, even the child agrees with me,” said Dumbledore blithely.

“He is dreaming of his real father, Headmaster,” said Severus, gritting his teeth.

In response, Harry started tugging on Severus’s robe. “You my da-da?”

Severus had lost, both his resolve to stifle Dumbledore’s pushing, and his resolve to keep the child away as far as possible.

Sighing, he answered, “Yes, Harry?”

Dumbledore smiled triumphantly. Now only one thing left to do…

Minerva McGonagall was astonished. Why hadn’t Albus confided in her? In fact, the news she read in the Daily Prophet was the first she had of anything. She was hurt that Albus hadn’t confided in her; lately he’d been giving her the cold shoulder. Whether intentional or not, the result was that she had no idea that Harry had been rescued, and furthermore, didn’t know where he was going. So with that thought in mind, she stormed all the way to Albus’s office.

But she stopped her hand just in time: Albus was speaking with someone. Not one to eavesdrop, she thought that it wouldn’t really hurt to listen this one time.

“ – yes, that’s right, Minister. Harry’s guardian has taken him to his house.”

She couldn’t catch the response, but she did hear what Dumbledore had to say. “Yes, he is definitely appropriate. Don’t worry, Minister, I will check on him soon. I take it that the Ministry of Childcare will be looking into them soon?”

She pressed her ear closer to the door, but she couldn’t here a thing, only a smattering of mutterings.

“BOO!” shrieked Peeves.   

Minerva jumped 3 metres high, and promptly changed into a cat. She hissed and glared at Peeves, whose only reaction was to snicker with glee. Dumbledore, hearing the noise outside, opened the door.

“My, Minerva, what a racket you’ve made! I presume it was Peeves?”

At the cat’s nod, Dumbledore chuckled. “Now, Minerva, was there anything you wanted?”

Minerva transformed, clearly annoyed at being robbed of her dignity. “Why, yes, but if you are busy…”

“I’m never too busy for you, dear Minerva,” said Dumbledore, and held his office door for her, all the while watching Minerva blush.

---------------------------------------------------------

Antonin Dolohov was seething. They’d had the Boy-Who-Lived right in their hands, and they lost him! Theo Yaxley, his partner, consoled him.

“At least Nott and Goyle got off. If we hadn’t pressured Malfoy…”

“Yeah, and? Those two are head-cases. We were better without them,” replied Dolohov bitterly.

“But now we have more manpower to re-gain that stupid child,” reassured Yaxley. Sometimes, Dolohov could be such a spoiled child.

“As if you could trust them. Really, if they were actually brilliant, would we be here now?” asked Dolohov sarcastically. “What would our master do if he were still here? Leave them in Azkaban, that’s what. But no! You had to go and blackmail Lucius, as if he doesn’t have enough on his hands. We need him in power. And what are people going to say now? Huh.”

“Relax, Anton. Malfoy can handle himself. What you need to worry about now is how we’re going to continue our business. Those blasted Aurors caught on to our little game too fast,” said Yaxley. “Maybe we should just move to Ireland. Those Irish are so caught up with their little rivalries they’d never notice us.”

“Do I look Irish to you?” asked Dolohov. “And what about my girlfriend? She’s not going to fancy a trip over the Irish Sea.”

Yaxley guffawed. “You have a girlfriend? With at ugly face? No wonder you joined us! For the mask!”

Dolohov glared at him, and gave Yaxley a sound whack on the back. “Oh, yeah? You don’t have a girlfriend, do you?”

Yaxley winced as he hit a soft spot. “It’s not like I have to try. The chicks fall all over me.”

Dolohov mock looked around. “Oh yeah? So where are they, chick magnet?”

Yaxley walked away at that. Dolohov, seeing this, yelled after him, “Wait up, Theo! Oh, c’mon, wait!”

--------------------------------------------------------

Severus was sitting at his desk, his head in his hands. What was he thinking, taking in Lily’s child? He didn’t deserve little Harry’s love. And all the awful things he’d done…especially to his mother. He didn’t deserve redemption. For all the sins he had committed, he deserved to be punished for each and every one. There was no room for grace in his troubled soul.

Yet, Harry hadn’t seen him that way. His laughter was like a sunshine bursting forth through the window into his once dark soul, like water flooding into the desert. This child didn’t judge him, nor did he look at Severus’s past; instead, he only saw Severus for who he truly was: a man capable of both receiving and giving love, a man with compassion, and a man still struggling to mend his brokenness. He loved Severus for who he was, and Severus wasn’t sure at all if he could accept that. Not that he had a choice, now, thanks to Dumbledore.

Now that Harry was here, he didn’t really see any of James at all. None of his arrogance, or his confident stupidity. No, Harry was all Lily: his penchance for unrequited love and a compassion that encompassed beyond anything Severus had ever done. Yet, he couldn’t see himself caring for the boy long-term. Could he provide for a child? Or, God-forbid, he lost his temper. No, it was better off asking Minerva, or even the werewolf, to take care of the child. And so that was what he had done, or started doing, anyways.

The letter (or the beginnings of one) lay on the desk. Lost in his musings, all he had written were the words, “Dear Minerva.” Oh, the conflict in his mind! Yes, he loved the child. On the other hand, one: he didn’t deserve Harry, and two: he couldn’t care for the child. Finally, he resolved to finish the letter – later.

   --------------------------------------------------------

Remus was horribly lost. It was probably because he hadn’t been to Diagon Alley in so long, but he didn’t expect his trip to be so complicated. Of course, what he had found in Sirius’s bank vault probably hadn’t helped either. As he stumbled around, he hoped he would meet someone he recognized. How big could the wizarding world be? Apparently really big, because for all the three hours he had been wandering, he hadn’t even found one place or person he knew. And he’d been only gone for two years. Maybe he was in the wrong place? But no, everyone wore robes. Finally giving up, he disapparated to Hogsmeade, where he hoped things hadn’t changed. He really couldn’t deal with all of this.

Upon arrival, he sighed with relief, seeing Honeydukes and the Hog’s Head. Suddenly needing a drink, he entered Hog’s Head, and breathed yet another sigh of relief when he saw Aberforth.

“Remus, my boy! Wonderful to see you again,” rumbled Aberforth. When the man wasn’t bitter, he reminded Remus of Hagrid. “So where have you been, lad?”

“Went to America for a bit,” answered Remus. “How’ve things been?”

“Quiet, nothing special. My brother, as usual, has got his head in the clouds,” answered Aberforth. “Would you like something to drink?”

He didn’t want to be drunk when he saw Dumbledore…err, the other one. So, he said, “A butterbeer, would you?”, and held out two sickles.

“No, lad, you won’t be paying today. It’s on me,” said Aberforth. As Remus started to protest, Aberforth continued, “After all, you haven’t been here for a while.”

“Thanks,” said Remus. “Do you have today’s news, by any chance?”

“Yeah, I do,” answered Aberforth, and rummaged around his counter. “Ah, here’s one.”

Sipping on his butterbeer, Remus moved to take a look at the newspaper. Had he been holding the butterbeer, he would’ve dropped it, as shocked as he was. Naturally, it was about all that had happened to Harry the past few days, but of course, Remus hadn’t really been up to date.

“What happened?” he asked Aberforth, appalled. “Who has Harry now?”

“Albus does,” replied Aberforth. “The poor boy, really. All the things he’s had to go through…and now this.”

“Yeah,” replied Remus, absentmindedly. Slurping down his butterbeer, he told Aberforth that he had an errand he had to run…and that he’d be back later. With that, he ran out the door and on to Hogwarts, forgetting he could Floo straight there.

-------------------------------------------------------

Dumbledore was faintly surprised when he heard the swearing and heavy knocking at his door. A very strange reaction, coming from Remus, who was normally very mild-mannered. 

“Come in,” he said.

“What do you think I’ve been doing for the last two minutes, dammit!” cried Remus. Oops, he must have dozed off.

“My apologies,” Dumbledore said as he opened the door for Remus. “Now, my boy, what can I do for you?”

“Harry!” He gasped out, breathless. Then, regaining his composure, he asked, “Where is he?”

“He’s safe, don’t worry,” replied Dumbledore soothingly.

“You said he was safe with the Dursleys last time! Now look at him!” yelled Remus, agitated.

“No, he really is safe now, trust me,” replied Dumbledore, unperturbed.

Remus sighed. He would never get it out of Dumbledore; he might as well figure it out for himself. “All right,” he finally replied.

Severus awoke to Harry’s cries in the middle of the night. Frantically, he rushed out of bed, running over a chair and colliding into a wall. Seeing the way he scrambled, that wasn’t a total surprise. He, though, blamed it on the complexity of the house, and cursed Dumbledore for the umpteenth time for having persuaded him to move in.

Finally righting himself, he entered Harry’s room. The boy was obviously having a nightmare, as he was whimpering, cringing, and hysterically whispering over and over, “Pwease don’ hit! Me be goo’ now!”

Severus’s heart broke again. How many times over these few years had he failed both the child and Lily? Nothing he did could ever right the situation. For now, though, all he could do was console the child. “Harry, wake up, child. You’re here now.”

This made the child curl himself in even further. What could he do to possibly wake the child out of his nightmare? Finally, he reached for the child, and pulled him in. “Shhh…you’re safe now. Harry, listen to me.”

At first, Harry had cringed at the touch, but as his body judged the action to be unthreatening, he began to relax, and his sobs diminished. He clung hard to Severus, and Severus was taken aback. What in Merlin’s name made the boy so possessive? He awkwardly returned the hug.

“Da-da?” Severus winced at the name. He didn’t deserve to be anyone’s father. Nevertheless, he answered Harry’s call.

“Yes, Harry?”

“You my da-da, wight?”

Trust Harry to hit the issue right on the nail. How would he answer this question? And why did Harry want to know now, of all times?

Severus chose his words carefully. “I’m taking care of you right now, yes.”

“O-kay,” replied Harry, the nuances of the words Severus had just spoken lost on him. Harry snuggled in even more, and promptly fell asleep again – in Severus’ arms.

The next day, Severus took Harry shopping, courtesy of glamours, knowing that most people were desperate to know who Harry’s guardian was, and he, for one, disliked attention. Instead of going to Diagon Alley, they went into Muggle London, where they proceeded to enter the nearest Toys ‘R’ Us.

Severus could remember entering one of these back when Lily and he were dating, imagining their future child, their toys, their clothes, and their room. They had dreamed of a life they would live together, a happy-ever-after.  All that, though, was gone now…

But he still had Harry. And, right now was Harry’s time. He really had to snap out of it. He’d have time to think when Harry went for his nap. For now though, he and Harry would have a fun-filled afternoon of picking out toys and clothes.

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Remus and Dumbledore sat in stony silence, as they both considered the ramifications of the news Remus had just delivered. Of course, none of this would have happened if Remus hadn’t snooped in his imprisoned ex-best friend’s vault. But no, his curiosity got the best of him when that damned letter arrived from Sirius.

The letter, from what he recalled, went like this:

Remus,

I know you’re awful mad at me over what happened to Lily and James. But you gotta believe me, Moony! It wasn’t me! It was Wormtail!

Oh, right. You think he’s dead, don’t you. He’s not. He’s still alive. I know you won’t believe me so I got my lawyer to pensieve my memories. You’ll find them in my vault. Moony, c’mon, old pal, just do this for me. You’ll see I’m right. Think about Harry. I can take care of him when I’m out.

Please, Moony.

Padfoot

Of course, part of him had doubted Sirius’s guilt. The man, though he was Remus’s best friend, was undeniably…mentally challenged in some aspects. He didn’t have what it took to pull off a betrayal that spectacular. And even if he had, why in Merlin’s name did he get caught right away?

 So to assuage his doubts, he went. And to his utter astonishment (all right, not really.), Sirius was right. They had placed an innocent man in prison… unless Sirius had found a way to change his memories. That is why he had so urgently owled Dumbledore, and the reason why he appeared so slipshod. Not that he was normally impeccably neat, but still.

Finally, Dumbledore spoke. “My boy, was there anything else to support  Sirius’s claim?”

Remus paused to think. He didn’t really notice anything. Shaking his head, he answered, “No…but have you looked in James’s vault?”

“No, we haven’t. I suppose it was because we were so eager to bring justice…we abused it. We’ll have to check later. But for now, let’s take a look at Sirius’s memory. I can see if it’s been tampered with,” said Dumbledore resolutely. And with that, the two of them plunged into the memory.

“Listen to me, Prongs,” said Sirius heatedly. “Old Moldy will know for sure I’m Secret Keeper. C’mon, who else would be? Let Wormtail be your Secret Keeper. Trust me, it’ll be all right.”

“Wormtail? Oh, you mean Pettigrew,” said Lily. “Are you sure? I’ve never trusted him, and you know how good my intuition is.”

“Lils, we’ve known Wormtail for years! He’d never give us over,” said James confidently. “Just relax, Lils. We’re going to come out of this fine.”

“Oh, all right. But shouldn’t we write this down somewhere?” asked Lily. “In case something does happen?”

“Don’t worry about it, Lily. You’ll be fine,” reassured Sirius.

“I’m going to write it down anyways,” replied Lily, and walked towards the bedroom, all the while listening to James chuckling over her obstinacy.  

Remus and Dumbledore pulled out. “Well, that memory looked like the original. And it also casts doubt on Sirius’s position as Secret Keeper. Are there any other memories?”

“Yes, the killing of Peter Pettigrew. If Pettigrew had given James and Lily up, then Sirius would still have reason to kill him, so it doesn’t throw the blame off of him at all, in the killing of Pettigrew and the Muggles,” said Remus, then recalled Sirius’s words, He’s still alive. Suddenly, he was very eager to start.

“My boy, are you ready to go again?” asked Dumbledore. 

“You damn rat! Come back here!” roared Sirius, mad with rage.

“No, Sirius, I didn’t mean it! It was the Dark Lord’s fault,” Pettigrew cringed.

“Oh, so it’s the Dark Lord now, Wormtail?” asked Sirius, a curious expression coming across his face. Pettigrew fled, knowing Sirius’s homicidal tendencies. “Who else did you kill, Pettigrew? Those Muggles, they were your doing, weren’t they?”

Sirius began to rapid-fire spells left and right. Wormtail fired back, almost if not equally proficient as the mutt, since Sirius was incapacitated with rage. All of a sudden, Pettigrew shrieked an unholy scream, and a bright flash occurred. Several hundred rats ran by, leaving only a finger. Joining them… was an unusually large rat.

Sirius sank to his knees, not even noticing the Aurors arresting him.

Remus shook violently when he came out. Dumbledore was puzzled. What had the boy seen?

In response to Dumbledore’s unspoken question, he answered, “Pettigrew was an Animagus…a rat. That big one? That was him.”

Now it was Dumbledore’s turn to tremble at the extent to which he had erred. “Oh, Merlin, what have I done?”

“Headmaster, it isn’t your fault. We are all to blame,” said Remus, having recovered.

“No, I put him there, in my arrogance. We have to arrange for his release right away!” said Dumbledore. “Do we have any material evidence?”

“Not yet,” replied Remus, grateful that Dumbledore too, thought the same of Sirius now. “We should probably go take a look at James’s vault now.”

They floo’d to Diagon Alley, where a whole new set of problems awaited them.

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Severus and Harry were having a blast. Had someone been able to tell that Severus was the man spoiling Harry, they would have fainted. Severus had several bags of stuffed animals and clothes ranging in colours in one arm, and he was carrying Harry in the other. Harry was very close to spilling his ice cream on Severus, but Severus didn’t mind. All in all, it was a very wonderful day.

When they had arrived home, Severus and Harry immediately set about decorating Harry’s room. Being a little too old to have a crib, Severus transfigured the crib into a small bed. He also placed a tiny table in the corner by the window, and set up shelves. He also put away Harry’s new clothes. During this time, Harry had, of course, fallen asleep, tired from his excitement. It was a good thing he had placed bed sheets, pillows, and blankets on the bed before Harry had fallen asleep. Tucking the child in, he glanced at the boy…almost lovingly. Then, seeming to shake himself out of his mood, he continued to work on the boy’s room.

Severus’s thoughts wandered. What was he doing? It was almost as if he was planning to have Harry stay at his house. No, he reminded himself, he only wanted to give the best to the child while he could. That, of course, didn’t go very well with his conscience. But with a well-practiced move, he pushed it to the back. 

He headed to the kitchens, eager to prepare dinner for that night. Now, what was Harry’s favourite food? He seemed to like the hamburgers at lunch, but too many of those in one day were bad for his health. Maybe pasta? Severus smiled, and began to prepare for that night’s dinner.

Minerva was sipping her cup of tea, perusing the Daily Prophet. Really, the people there really had nothing better to do, writing such garbage on the first page. “Harry Potter Kidnapped!,” it screamed. Minerva rolled her eyes. As if Albus would ever let such a thing happen. But now the whole wizarding world was thrown into a panic, and for what? One day’s worth of good publicity?

She incendio’d the paper, and turned to her book, 1984 by George Orwell, a Muggle who had surprising ideas of what the future looked like. She shuddered. If her world turned like that…well, she’d blast the instigator first. As if there was any chance now, anyways. Grindelwald was dead, and so was You-Know-Who. And the only wizard strong enough to do that was Albus, and well, she had him wrapped around her pinkie. If only he wasn’t so much older…

Never mind that. She had better things to think about, like that vacation in the Swiss Alps the week after next. The glorious mountain air, the fresh, crisp snow on the mountaintops…

“Oomph!” Minerva was bowled over. What in the world…?

“Stupid owl,” she muttered. “Arabella ought to replace you. Can’t even see right, can you?”

Obviously irritated, she snatched the letter from the owl, and Ginger loudly protested. “Go away, you dumb bird,” she exclaimed. “Oh, all right, here’s your treat.”

With a hoot, Ginger flew out the window, forgetting that Arabella had expected a reply. Minerva opened the letter asking about Harry. She sighed. When did friends actually ask about her nowadays? Not that she could fault the poor child. But where was the child? He’d been gone for a week now, and all Albus would ever do was twinkle his eyes at her. And of course, she’d melt. Great, really, just great. She really had to get out of the habit of remembering Albus with every daydream or memory. It was getting downright annoying.

 Maybe she should ask Severus? He seemed to be privy to Albus than she was, these days. Probably because Albus so desperately loved him, she chided herself. Why, that man was like his own son! She couldn’t fault Severus for that…but at the same time, Severus seemed to be taking all the attention away from her. What was she, fifteen? She really had to get control of her emotions. Damn Albus for doing this to her!

Oh, well. She’d just have to see Severus first, to see if he knew anything. Not that he was likely to tell her…but she could try, couldn’t she?

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When Severus went to wake Harry, he was astonished to see the boy practicing magic, or rather, producing accidental magic, again. Somehow, the boy had managed to change the room’s colours. And not normal colours either. No, Harry’s room was flashing, and Severus was sure if he stayed one more minute in that room, he’d get a seizure.

He quickly incanted, “Finite Incantem!” Nothing happened. Was his so-Harry that strong? Digging through his memory, he finally found a spell that worked. Harry, meanwhile, had been woken by the noise.

 “Dada? What’chu doin’?” he said, and then yawned.

“The better question, imp, is what you’ve been doing,” said Severus.

“Me do nottin, Dada,” replied Harry, his eyes wide. “Dada mad?”

“Dada – Severus isn’t mad, Harry,” said Severus. Damn! Why did he keep slipping up? He wasn’t the boy’s father, nor did he want to be. Damn the boy and his eyes!

“Dada’s upset,” said Harry, this time as a statement. “Dada no like me no more.”

“Harry, I like you fine.” Seeing as this couldn’t appease the boy, he added, “C’mere, imp. Come sit on my lap.”

Harry scrambled on to Severus’s lap, and snuggled. “Harry, I love you very very much. So don’t you dare say that I don’t love you.”

“Dada, me love you too,” said Harry. Severus was too awestruck to correct little Harry’s grammar.

They sat like this for a while, until Severus remembered that he had dinner waiting downstairs. He looked down at Harry. “Little imp, how would you like pasta for dinner?”

“What pa –ta?” asked Harry. “Is  yum-yum?”

“Yes, Harry, it’s very good. Now, if you don’t get off my lap, you won’t get any…”

“No, me go, me go! Me want pa – ta!” And off Harry went, Severus following behind him.   

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Remus and Dumbledore were all dusty from their search, which unfortunately, hadn’t unearthed anything. They had gone through everything – all the Potter heirlooms, the will, James’s journals…nothing. But then again, hadn’t Lily mentioned her diary in the memory? It certainly wasn’t in here. That was their last hope now. But where could she have put it? Godric’s Hollow had contained nothing, and surely Lily wouldn’t have put it there…not if she had known the dangers. Which she had, given the look she had given James and Sirius.

This was so frustrating! Why did Lily have to be so smart? Remus growled, and his stomach echoed in agreement. Dumbledore looked up, his eyes twinkling. “Shall we go for lunch and call it a day, my boy?”

“A day wasted means another day Sirius is stuck in that hellhole, Headmaster!” answered Remus vehemently. “I can survive hunger; I’ve done it before.”

“Ah, but this old man here isn’t so sure he can,” replied Dumbledore, his eyes again twinkling. Remus almost swore, knowing that Dumbledore was giving up for the day because of him. “No, really, I’m fine, Headmaster.”

“But I insist,” replied Dumbledore. “Why don’t we go for a quick lunch and come back?”

“All right,” Remus said, grudgingly. “But only for half an hour, and no more.”

“Whatever you say, dear boy,” said Dumbledore, cheerfully, and the two of them walked out of Gringotts.

Suddenly, Remus stopped.  What if – what if Lily had placed the diary in Sirius’s vault? After all, no one would ever think to look there. “Headmaster, I think we should go back and look…this time, in the Black vault.”

“Splendid idea, my boy. But first, we should go eat. Now…maybe a hamburger in the Muggle world? Who was it that introduced me? Anyhow, come, Remus. You’ll love them, I’m sure,” said Dumbledore.

True to the old man’s words, Remus did enjoy them – immensely. Had the matter at hand not been so urgent, he would have easily devoured at least two more. As it was, he had finished three when Dumbledore asked him if he was ready to leave.

“Of course!” Remus jumped up, vowing that he’d be back someday to eat to his heart’s content – with Sirius. His best friend would enjoy them, he was sure. In fact, he was a bigger eater than Remus, a hard feat indeed.

Soon, they had reached Vault 711, Sirius’s bank vault. When it opened, Remus was again struck with awe at how much the Black family actually had. It was amazing how much money a person could have, really.

“My boy, are you done gazing at the piles of Galleons?” asked Dumbledore mildly, causing Remus to blush intensely. “Now tell me, where did you find the memories?”

“Where he said they would be,” answered Remus. “But that wouldn’t affect Lily’s decision to place it anywhere near them.”

“No, but perhaps Sirius knew that Lily’s journal was there,” answered Dumbledore. “Was it perhaps by that chair over there?”

Remus stared at him in horror. How exactly had he known? “No, my boy, I am not skilled in Occlumency. I remember Lily liked that chair…the only thing she ever liked at 12 Grimmauld Place,” said Dumbledore, his eyes practically flashing. Remus felt ill, all of a sudden.

“If I remember correctly, there was a hidden spring here that would trigger a compartment…aha!” said Dumbledore. “Help me with this, Remus. I’m getting far too old for this sort of work.”

Remus pulled, and exclaimed, “It’s a letter, Headmaster. From Lily.” 

Minerva couldn’t find Severus. She went to his house at Spinner’s End; it was gone. Well, to be precise, it was sold. Some Muggle family lived there now. She checked his apartments at Hogwarts; he wasn’t there either. It was a complete mystery where the man went. As far as she knew, he had no living relatives, nor did he have any (close) friends he could stay with. So where could he be?

As she pondered, she slowly climbed the stairs up to Albus’s office. At the door, she stopped. What was she doing here? Oh, well. Maybe Albus was back? She knocked, but no one answered. She quickly said her special password – one that gave her access to the Headmaster’s office.

Perhaps she was too old at this age to be snooping. But she did want to know – desperately. Oh, how she hated being left out of secrets! Why couldn’t they trust her? Severus’s favourite phrase: “You Gryffindors wear your heart on your faces,” and then he’d sneer, as if she was inferior to him. All Albus would do was laugh, like he wasn’t a Gryffindor at all.

The stack of mail at the corner of his desk caught Minerva’s eye. Could she…? Before she lost her nerve, she incanted, “Duplicatio!” Another stack, exactly the same as the one on the desk, flew into her hands. She quickly left…hoping that her spell had copied the words as well as it had the mass.

She walked into her office, fully ready to peruse the mail. What she saw stopped her immediately. She called out, “Stupe–”   

“Expelliarmus,” the voice lazily called, and the wand shot out of her hand.

----------------------------------------------------------                                                      

Severus and Harry were decorating Harry’s room – with appropriate colours this time.  Severus was surprised that Harry hadn’t picked red or gold (perhaps the child was too young for colours such as those). Instead he picked light blue and light green. Harry had wanted pink and yellow too, but Severus told him that two colours were ample enough. The walls were a light green, and the furniture turned blue.

Severus also noticed that Harry loved his window, so he created a window seat for him – after child-proofing it, of course. The child immediately clambered on to the window, and was quickly mesmerized by the outside. He noticed that the room still looked a little bland. What else would a child like on the walls?

At the toy store, Harry had loved Winnie-the-Pooh, and Severus had bought all the characters for him. Maybe he’d like animated versions of them on his walls? He decided he’d do that – as soon as he figured out how and when to do it. He really should ask Minerva. She probably would know.

But for now, he needed to go shopping with Harry at Diagon Alley for some wizarding clothes. He probably needed to go see Albus too, about the child. Fine, he decided, they would go to Hogwarts for the day. But first, he would have to owl Albus to see if the coast was clear. Sometimes, Aurors or snoopy old Wizengamot witches or wizards visited Albus…and of course, if he had happened to be there at the time, those eyes would quickly turn to him in suspicion. No, Harry must be kept safe from gossip.

He quickly wrote a note on the parchment, and asked his owl, Archimedes, to deliver it to Albus. Meanwhile, Harry had found a new source of entertainment – a large ball that Severus had bought for him at the toy store. When he found Severus’s eyes turning on him, Harry clambered over to him and demanded that Severus play with him. Actually, more like he asked in a quiet voice. Since coming to Severus, Harry seemed to be much less reluctant to ask Severus for things, and seemed to realize that Severus would rarely refuse anything of him. At this rate, Severus was going to spoil the child.

A Hogwarts owl was hovering by the window, pecking furiously and angrily as it thought that Severus had ignored it. Severus sighed. How he hated obnoxious animals! He opened the window, and took the letter from the owl. The owl hooted, and left. The letter was in Dumbledore’s fine script. What did the Headmaster want from him? Why didn’t he just Floo-call? Annoyed, he tore open the envelope.

My dearest Severus,

Remus and I have found something of utmost importance, and it to some extent is in regards to Harry. Do not worry; it is not bad news. Or, at least, not for us anyways.

In any case, that is not the reason why I have chosen to owl you. I was wondering if perhaps you would still like to continue as the Potions professor and Head of Slytherin House, since you now have more responsibilities as guardian of little Harry. Of course, Harry is welcome to stay at Hogwarts during the year, but if you are adverse to such, please reply as soon as possible. We will need to find a replacement. If you like, you may pick your replacement. Visit me in my office Monday, Severus. We can discuss it then.

                                                                                                Your (adoptive) father,

                                                                                                    Albus Dumbledore

P.S. Please bring Harry along. We’d love to see him!  

That old man fully expected him to leave his job! Of course, it wasn’t totally unappealing. He could work as a full-time Potions Master, taking contracts, and would have free reign to complete his research! At the same time, though, if he said yes, wouldn’t he be confirming that he wanted to keep Harry?

He was conflicted. He loved Harry, yes, but…he knew he didn’t deserve him. Maybe as an occasional babysitter, but not as a full-time guardian.

You’re just chicken, Severus, his conscience chided. You’re just afraid you won’t raise the child well.

Was that true? Severus shook himself out of his musings, when he felt two very small hands tugging at him. “Dada, we go play now? Outside? Pwease?”

Severus smiled. “All right, little imp. Let’s go play catch.” His thoughts could wait for another time…perhaps tonight when Harry went to bed.

----------------------------------------------------------

Remus opened the letter with shaking hands. What did the letter contain? Why had Lily chosen to hide it there, of all places?

My dearest friends (I know you’re there, Headmaster),

YOU DUMB MUTT! I TOLD YOU THIS WOULD HAPPEN! You’re lucky I had the presence of mind to write this down. So much for me being “as stubborn as a mule.” I don’t know if you know, but as of late, I have been having Seer dreams. I know they’re not always accurate, but I attempted to safeguard against every possibility. So if you (Sirius) aren’t in Azkaban, I sincerely apologize for calling you stupid.

Peter Pettigrew was our Secret Keeper, since Sirius was oh-so-adamant about being “sneaky.” Any Slytherin could have seen through that! Anyways, now that that is established, I suppose you’ll have enough evidence for you to take him out, though God knows why you would (just joking!).

I have far more important news. It will require the presence of both Severus and Sirius (Sirius knows what I have done, but not its consequences, or what led up to it). I timed my Muggle mail to arrive late at Severus’s house; it should have arrived a week ago, but Severus hasn’t responded yet. In any case, two weeks after the letter is delivered, the envelope will become a key to vault 728. Inside the vault are all my old treasures (more proof of Sirius’s innocence can be found here), and also…well, you’ll find out. There will also be another letter in that vault; it’s hidden in a similar chair, with a similar compartment.

Give my love to my dearest Harry.

                                                                                                Love,

                                                                                         Lily Evans  

P.S. Tell Sirius I’m sorry for putting his chair back in his vault. He went ballistic when I told him and I didn’t really have time to apologize.

Remus shouted with excitement! His friend was finally going to be free! Dumbledore, on the other hand, wasn’t half so gleeful. Yes, his mistakes were about to be atoned, but what was Lily indicating? Was there something he didn’t know? He searched his memory, then sighed. Perhaps it was in his pensieve. He tended to put all of his most important memories in there, and then he’d forget to put them back into his brain.

“Headmaster! Let’s go! We have a man to free!” cried Remus, reminding Dumbledore of a child at Christmas. He smiled indulgently in reply.

By the time they had arrived at the Ministry of Magic, Remus was all covered in sweat. He quickly performed a Scourgify, and waited patiently for Dumbledore to catch up. Finally, together, they walked up to the main office – where they could request entrance to see the Minister of Magic, Madam Millicent Bagnold. Luckily for Remus, Dumbledore’s reputation preceded him, and they were quickly ushered in.

“My dear friend Albus! What can I do for you today?” asked Madam Bagnold.

“How have you been, Millicent? May I introduce Remus Lupin?” said Dumbledore genially.

Remus took the hand proffered, and kissed it. “It’s very good to meet you, Madam.”

“What charm!” the Minister fluttered. “Now, Albus, I know you don’t often visit me purely for social reasons. Out with it! What can I do?”

“Well, Millicent, it seems I was badly mistaken about Sirius Black. We have uncovered new evidence that suggests that Sirius was not responsible for either the Potters’ deaths or the Muggles’.”

“It isn’t very often that I have Albus Dumbledore admitting his mistakes,” teased the Minister. “If you will kindly show me the evidence…oh, I suppose we will have to do this the official way.”

She tossed Floo powder, and called, “Department of Magical Law Enforcement!”

Amelia Bones answered. “Yes, Madam Minister?”

“Could you come down please? Headmaster Dumbledore has found something regarding Sirius Black.”

Madam Bones’s face paled, and she answered, “I’ll be there right away.”

Within seconds, she had arrived. Dumbledore proceeded to tell her everything they had found, and showed her the memories and Lily’s letter. Finally, she answered, “Yes, it looks like everything’s in order…except…Sirius Black is no longer with us.”

Remus’s mind blanked. No longer with us?

“Lucius Malfoy, to what do I owe such a…illustrious visit?” Minerva asked, arching her eyebrows much like Severus did when he was trying to be condescending. Silently, she scolded herself for being so careless. But then, who expected an attack in her own office? Virtually impossible, but the key word there was virtually. People these days had no manners.

“Now, now, Professor McGonagall, no need to be so mocking. It doesn’t suit you,” replied Lucius, giving a smirk of his own. “Please close the door.”

“Not until I know your intentions are honourable,” said Minerva, defiantly. What was this man up to?

The two of them faced off, each as obstinate as the other. The silence was deafening, and Minerva wasn’t at all sure if she could win, especially since she didn’t have her wand. Once again, she cursed her recklessness. And she was sure she could prove Severus wrong too! Finally, Lucius broke, and his normal demeanour melted. “Please,” he whispered. “For this once…I beg of you.”

Malfoys do not beg…something’s the matter, a voice echoed in her head. Shocked, she complied. “What is the matter, Lucius?”   

----------------------------------------------------------

Remus shot forward. “What do you mean, no longer with us? He’s dead?”

Amelia Bones shook her head, and gravely said, “We don’t believe so, but the Dementors do. Only the cells that no longer have living occupants are abandoned. Had Mr. Black escaped, an alarm would have been sounded.”

Albus Dumbledore was confounded. Ah well, he had never been any good at chess anyways. It irked him though, to know that Fate was so fickle. Things should have gone the way they were meant to be. Hopefully, Lady Luck had been invited into the conference; else now would all been lost, all the hard work he had put in since the demise of Tom Riddle. Where could Sirius be? They needed him…to get into the other vault. Well, not onlythat reason, but, right now, it was the most important one. Albus looked up, only to see everyone staring at him strangely. He must have drifted off again. “I’m sorry, what were we discussing?”

Remus replied stiffly, “Madam Bones asked if we would like to explore Sirius’s cell.”

Madam Bones added, “Our Aurors didn’t find anything, but that perhaps isn’t the best indicator, since Mr. Black was not…popular, to say in the least. It was a miracle anyone reported at all. Regardless, Headmaster, perhaps you will be able to find something?”

Albus nodded. “Yes, that will be for the best. When will you have time…?”

Madam Bagnold quickly replied, “Why, as soon as possible! We want this behind us, don’t we, Amelia?”

Madam Bones winced, but had the grace to positively reply to that question. Albus, seeing this, enquired, “Will day after tomorrow do?”

She breathed a sigh of relief. Trust the old man to rescue her! “Yes, that should be fine, Headmaster. I’ll meet you in my office, say, 10 in the morning then?”

Albus’s eyes twinkled again. “We’ll be there. Thank you, Amelia.”

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Harry had finally fallen asleep. For the past five hours, he had been crying incessantly, probably due to a nightmare. The child was brilliant, without a doubt. He had instinctively known that the Dursleys had not been kind to him without reason. But it had come with a price: nightmares, night after night. Severus was quite exhausted now; but he would not let Harry give in. No, he would never…as long as his body still held breath. At this rate, though, he wasn’t sure how long he would last. Harry craved his attention, having noticed that Severus would never do anything to hurt him.  It was almost the same vice versa. Severus secretly loved the way Harry wanted to take after him, and adored the child for loving him unconditionally. Not that he showed that, of course…or did he? Maybe he was spoiling the child a little bit too much. But it would be all right for the next while, he reasoned, since Harry deserved coddling for what he had been through.

He made his way downstairs, fully ready to pour himself a stiff drink. Oh, God, how he needed it. He wasn’t used to sleeping only 3 hours a night. And he needed more time to himself, to think. Settling himself on his sofa with a beer in hand (yes, he liked Muggle drinks), he turned on the radio. Buggers. It didn’t work, probably since magic was so inherent in the building. He sighed. There went all his entertainment for the night. He really had to do something about that. Why couldn’t technology and magic coexist? He stood up, and went over to his desk, seeing if he had left his novel there. He hadn’t, but all of a sudden, it didn’t matter anymore. His eyes had been caught on the (Muggle) portrait of Lily.

He picked it up, forgetting the beer on his desk. He made his way back on to the sofa, and sat there for a very long time, lost in a time far long past.

“Sev, we can’t do this anymore,” Lily cried. “We’re too different. I thought…” Here, her voice caught.

“What did you think, Lily? That I’d break off my ties with the Dark Lo –”

“Don’t say that! He-he’s not your lord! He-he has no control over you!” she exclaimed, her voice threatening to break. “Why won’t you come back to us??”

“I’m sorry, Lily…but this is my calling. I have someone for the first time in my life who appreciates me for who I am. Can’t you be happy for me?” said Severus, not understanding.

“But can’t you see, Sev? I’m the one who loves you for who you are, I’m the one who appreciates you the most! Why do you think I agreed to be your fiancée?”

“You don’t understand!” Severus’s temper is reaching its peak, at the frustration that his love did not understand him. “Leave, Lily. Before I lose what control I have.”

Lily stepped back, fearful. What had happened to her Severus? They had only been apart for half a year…Finally, she told him, “Promise me, Sev, that you’ll consider all that I’ve said.”

Severus nodded half-heartedly. “Come back tomorrow. I’ll give you my answer then.”

She left, leaving Severus to ponder, though not over what she had said. Instead, he thought of her seeming betrayal. He couldn’t leave the Dark Lord, nor could he let go of his love for her. He poured himself a drink, and sat down at the table, turning on the radio. He let the music wash over him, the lyrics fitting his emotions.

“So you’re the one I’ve waited on,
The one I’ve been dreaming of.
Now that I know, it’s hard to let go.
I don’t want to lose your love…

But what can I do, I can’t make you stay here.
But if you should choose to go your own way,
Wherever you’re going, whenever you turn,
Remember this moment, remember these words:

I will, I will give up my life for you, if you want it,
Give you my heart, you already own it.
I’ll do anything, I’ll go anywhere, it’s true
I will, I will, I will…

I look in your eyes and I see our life
So full of happiness,
Do you see the same? Or just someone you’ll blame
For things that you might’ve missed…

I don’t want to weigh you down like an anchor
If that’s how you see me now, I would rather
Let you go free, just sail away
If that’s what you need, if that’s what it takes…”

Finally, as the song concluded, he resolutely decided that he would tell her that he was going to stay with the Dark Lord. If Lily wanted to go her own way, then so be it. He wouldn’t stop loving her, but it was time that he stood for his beliefs. And if she decided to stay by him, all the better. A part of him insisted that Lily would never leave him; she loved him too much for that. He would tell her that tomorrow. For now, He would drown away today’s sorrows, and hope for the best for tomorrow.

Tomorrow came far too quickly. Severus couldn’t help but flinch when Lily refused to see him ever again, and nearly crumbled when she took off her ring and gave it back to him. He stood coldly and resolutely, refusing to let her see how much her selfish decision had cost him. He closed the door, and didn’t even watch her break down on the porch. Nor did he see his worst enemy picking her up and escorting off his property. No, he was too busy thinking of himself, and only himself.

Severus shook. He knew now how foolish that decision was. How he regretted that day! The product of what came about was lying upstairs in a room upstairs. Oh, how much he had to atone for! Seeing his beer on the table, he picked it up, drinking away his sorrows, much like he had six years ago. 

The poor man was babbling. Minerva couldn’t get a word in, no matter how hard she tried.  He kept going on and on, speaking only gibberish. She was going to become insane, if he kept blathering. All she could hear was, “Yaxley- Dolohov- Draco-kdbthm…” Finally, at her wit’s end, she said in her best teacher’s voice, “LUCIUS MALFOY!”

He stopped, to her relief, but the distress on his face did not diminish. Minerva sighed. “First of all, I’d like my wand back.” At his blank face, she realized that he was not at his full mental capacity at the moment. Something must have happened to turn him into this much of a fool, not that he wasn’t, in the first place. Abraxas Malfoy had done his son wonders; he was pretty much a first class idiot. Of course, she was biased – she had always hated the Malfoy family. So why would Lucius choose to come to her? It made no sense whatsoever. Unless…Abraxas meant to call up that debt she owed them…No, it couldn’t be. Abraxas was long gone, having died of dragon pox two years ago. “Speak, Mr. Malfoy. I don’t have all day. And enunciate.”

Lucius took a long, ragged breath. “My father has asked that I speak to you…he insists that you are the most perfect for the job.”

Damn you, Abraxas. I hope you ended up in hell, she furiously thought. “And precisely why do you think I would agree to whatever…shifty… task you might have me do?”

“Fa-Father said that you owe him a Wizard’s Debt,” stuttered Lucius, no longer confident.

“How dare he! I owe him no such thing!” exclaimed Minerva.

“I knew it was hopeless,” muttered Lucius, and turned to go. Minerva, her curiosity peaked, called out, “Wait. Tell me first what you would like me to do…and perhaps I will reconsider. I do owe your father something…just not a Wizard’s Debt, no, something far more precious.”

“Yaxley and Dolohov…the-they…”He choked. Minerva took a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to him. He accepted it, and after regaining some composure, he continued. “They have taken my son, Professor.”

“Your son…Draco? Were you not allied together in your little band of…miscreants?” asked Minerva, having had trouble using another word to depict the Death Eaters. Of course, that word didn’t even cover what havoc they had unleashed on the wizarding world.

“Yes, I mean – no…I renounced the Dark Lord, Professor, before he died. That’s how I was able to keep my place in the Ministry. Yaxley and Dolohov knew this. They kidnapped Draco so that they could control me…”he trailed off, then continued angrily. “The Imperius Curse I could throw off…but my son! The lifeblood of the Malfoy line!”

 Trust Malfoy to think of bloodlines at a time like this, Minerva thought. Nonetheless, she spoke of nothing on her mind, except of the present problem. “And why would you ask me, Mr. Malfoy? Why not Severus? Or Albus?”

“Headmaster Dumbledore doesn’t trust me,” Lucius said, his eyes darkening. “I was only looking for my family’s safety, you must understand. I had no intention of…truly bowing my head to the Dark Lord. Had it not been for my father…”he trailed off again, then picked up his train of thought. “Severus…I can’t find him. He seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. So…you, Professor, are my last remaining hope. Narcissa has fallen apart, and I fear I, too, am close the edge of the cliff…”

Melodramatics, thought Minerva. Just like his father. Why did children feel as if they had to copy their parental units? She shuddered. It was almost like talking to Abraxas all over again.

“Professor?” inquired Lucius softly. But no, this Malfoy was nothing like Abraxas. He was soft, cowardly…but seeming to finally grow a spine. Whether or not it was a good thing remained to be seen.

“I am considering all that you have told me, Mr. Malfoy,” snapped Minerva. Finally, she acquiesced. “Lucius…What do you want me to do?”

He breathed a sigh in relief. His father had been right. She really was a Gryffindor, through and through. “I need to tell you the entire story first.”

“Fine,” she answered. “But I would like my wand first, Lucius. It is very precious to me, you must know.”

“Here,” replied Lucius. “And I’m sorry about earlier…”

“Forget about it. Now tell me. What happened to lead to such tragic unfolding of events?” said Minerva, and she sat down on one of her sofas. Lucius took a seat in front of her, on the divan.

“Earlier this year…Yaxley and Dolohov approached me with the prospect of entering the black market,” he said, his hands shaking. “In the area of…exporting children. No, I suppose I might as well give you the correct term: child enslavement. Of course, not all children were sold as…slaves, some families preferred to adopt the child without the hassle of going through the government. I, of course, refused, having a child and knowing how much pain it would cause to take another’s. I should have stopped them! But I was too much of a coward…”

His shoulders shuddered, but he forged on. “I didn’t, needless to say. Earlier this year…they encountered a mishap, a set-up by the Aurors, and Nott and Goyle were caught. Knowing that the two of them would give Yaxley and Dolohov up, the two of them kidnapped my son in exchange for their release. I did so…but they still haven’t given me back my son!”

He collapsed back, exhausted. “It has to do with Potter’s boy. ‘Else they would have given my Dragon back.”

Minerva gasped. This was a task for Albus. Then, an idea came into her head. If Albus saw how well she accomplished this, perhaps he’d see her in a better light? Making up her mind, she said, “And what do you want me to do, Lucius? I can’t very well take on two healthy, albeit idiotic, men. You know that as well as I do.”

“Yes, but you can tip off the Aurors to their location. I-I’ve found them, but I can’t find my son!” his anguish tore into Minerva, who knew full well what it was to lose a son.

“All right. That, I can do. I am still on good terms with Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt…who else is in that department? Oh yes, Rufus Scrimgeour,” she added, the revulsion coming out in her tone. She had never liked that man. Ever.  “In fact, we could talk to them today.”

“You can, as soon as I leave. I don’t want to be seen by them. Bad memories, you see, especially Moody,” said Lucius. “And I have to see to Narcissa. I don’t really trust the house elves. I’ll be seeing you then, Professor.”

The he tossed Floo powder into the fireplace, and called, “Malfoy Manor!” And he was gone, leaving behind a very befuddled Minerva McGonagall.

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 Severus awoke with a start. He had one very hyper child bouncing up and down on him. He pulled on his best Snape face and sneered at the child. “Now what do we have here? A very naughty child, eh?”

Harry giggled. He loved it when his father teased him. “No,” he replied. “A vewwy vewwy goo’ child.”

“No,” roared Severus. “I see a very naughty child indeed, bruising poor Severus.”

“No, Dada, me goo’!”

“Well, we’ll see about that!” Severus tossed Harry into the air, and caught him. “What do you say now, you little daredevil?”

Harry was laughing hard now. Severus smiled. How could he not, when just days ago, Harry had been afraid to even be touched, much less smile. “No, Dada, me goo’!”

“Oh, really?” And Severus started tickling Harry. “What do you say now, scamp?”

Harry screamed with laughter. “Stop, Dada, stop! Me bad, me bad!”

Severus kissed the child with delight. “I love you, Harry.” He held the child close as Harry started to calm down. Then he heard a little voice in his ear, saying, “Dada, can we ha’ bweakfas’?”

“Yes, I’ll go cook it now. You have to brush your teeth, put on your clothes, and brush your hair first though. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat, all right, little imp?” asked Severus affectionately. The boy was growing on him.

“Yesh, Dada. Me go!” he replied, then ran up the stairs. Severus sighed. “No stomping, young man, or else I’ll tickle you again!”

He heard the little giggles above, and he smiled. Hmmm…what would Harry like for breakfast? Something nutritional…something that would help him gain back the proper weight, and size. Harry seemed to like everything Severus gave him. He definitely wasn’t a picky eater. But…he wasn’t eating enough, and that worried Severus. So for days, he had been adding in a nutrition potion into his apple juice. He finally made up his mind. He would make toast, scrambled eggs, and have Harry eat half an orange. And of course, the apple juice.

Severus loved cooking the Muggle way. To him, it was almost as enjoyable as brewing a potion. In a way, they were very similar. Severus finished in a record of five minutes, but he left everything on the stove, to remain warm, and decided to peruse the newspaper. Nothing new, really. The Daily Prophet was quite useless; everyone knew it was Ministry controlled. But the other options were even worse, including Xenophilius’s The Quibbler. How he hated the filth in today’s news!

Fifteen minutes ticked by. Worried, Severus looked up. He hadn’t heard from Harry in a while. Had something happened? He ran up the stairs, crossing his fingers desperately. To his surprise, Harry was in trouble. But not in a bad sort of way. No, he was in trouble with Severus. And Severus had no idea what to do.

Harry had decided to play with water. Play perhaps, is not the most efficient word. No, Harry had proceeded to drench the entire room with water. The only thing keeping the place intact was the anti-flooding charms.

“HARRY POTTER! What have you DONE?!?” roared Severus. “I only asked you to brush your teeth…”

“An’ dress an’ pu’ on cwothes an’ brush hair,” replied little Harry cheekily.

“I will not tolerate impudence from you, young man,” Severus said, turning into the harsh taskmaster his students were used to. “Now, tell me, what possessed you to create such a…disaster?”

Harry gulped. He had never seen his Dada so mad before…and he sounded like Uncle Vernon! “No, don’-don’ hit me!” He curled up in a ball, and started to cry.

“Oh, Harry,” said Severus softly, seeing that he had frightened the child. “Harry, remember what I said before? I will never, ever hit you. Ever. Do you hear me, Harry? Oh, Harry.” He pulled the child on to his lap. He should have been paying attention to his tone. He knew Harry was sensitive!

“Dada still love me?” asked Harry, sucking on his thumb.

“Yes,” Severus replied. “Dada still loves you…very much.” And with that, the letter addressed to Professor McGonagall was forgotten…and it would never be sent. Severus was keeping the child.

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Remus Lupin was nervous. He almost felt like he was the one entering Azkaban. Technically, he was, but only as a visitor. Still, it made him no less panicky. Had Sirius felt like this? Remus almost let his bladder go. Had Sirius trembled in fear at the prospect of living the rest of his life here in this hellhole?

Albus Dumbledore could feel Remus’s anxiety. He felt the same, though he was more reserved than the younger man. He wondered why it was taking Amelia so long; they had waited here for half an hour. Hadn’t she said that everything had been processed beforehand? But that wasn’t the only reason that made him agitated. No, he didn’t really want to see the injustice served upon Sirius three years ago. He wanted to disconnect from this reality, and refuse to see his mistakes. But all men must face justice at one point or another in his life; here was his, no matter that it was poetic justice. Finally, Amelia Bones returned, huffing, as if returning from a sprint.

“They’ve had some trouble with the Dementors this morning,” she said. “But they’ve got it under control, so our tour can proceed as planned.”

“Thank you, Amelia. So may we set off?” asked Dumbledore. “I’m eager to put this behind us…and search for any clues regarding Sirius Black.”

“Why, yes. But you’ll need to put on these visitor tags,” said Amelia. After the three of them had put them on, she led the way – into the prison, Azkaban.

The front foyer of the prison was almost as sterile as the foyer of a hospital. The same stench of despondency, and the impersonality of it all struck Remus. As a werewolf, he was attuned to people’s feelings through his heightened sense of smell. The lack of hope almost crippled him. Oh, Sirius, he thought. They registered their names in the guestbook, and walked down, all the way to Cellblock X, where only the lifers resided. The very first cell was Sirius’s, for which Remus was extremely grateful for. He wouldn’t have to see Dementors today.

Amelia wove to the front to unlock the cell. With a clank, the door opened, and Remus caught the scent of something…no, he could see the scene unfolding before his eyes. The scene of Remus’s last hour in this cell. All the little actions, the last meal…it was all there. He hadn’t known his heightened senses would affect him so…as he crumpled, he could barely hear the shouts of Dumbledore and Madam Bones. 

Chapter 15

A cold draft blasted its way through the cell. He shivered, wanting to be far away from this place, but knew that until his plan took place – and what a plan! – he would forever remain in this place. How desperately he hoped Lily’s charms would work…it was keyed to a specific day in the year, and last year had been an utter failure. But how had she known? He had taken it as a joke, that day three years ago.

It had been his birthday. Prongs and Mooney had burst through the door early that morning, screaming “Happy Birthday!” at the top of their lungs. Well, Prongs did. Mooney was holding the cake…or so he said. In any case, he didn’t know, since he didn’t wake up until he felt a tiny hand smack his face – hard. “Paddy!” little Harry had gurgled. Of course, his friends hadn’t stopped the little tyke; no, in fact, they were doing the opposite: laughing hard at poor Padfoot whose face now sported a very red, small handprint.  He couldn’t be mad at little Pronglet – he was too cute.

Lily smiled sadly in the corner though. That bothered him. It was as if she was reading his mind…no, that couldn’t be. Later in the day, she approached him with the same sad smile – and told him something that he had dismissed, until now.

Sirius, she had spoken. That in itself had given him warning. No one called him ‘Sirius,’ except his mother. He drifted off at that, thinking of his mother.

“SIRIUS BLACK!” Lily’s voice softened. “Sirius, listen to me.”

“What’s the rush, Lily?” Then he noticed the expression on her face, and he stopped. “Okay, what’s going on?”

“I have a present for you…but I’d rather give it to you outside – alone.” The tone in her voice was ominous. Was there something he had done?

They walked outside together, and Sirius, ever the gentleman, held the door for her and escorted her to a bench by an oak tree. Along the way, he noticed her hands shaking. Why was she nervous? Sirius became more agitated, but he knew better than to show it.

“Sirius…promise me…that you’ll always keep this with you, no matter what,” she said softly, and held up a Charmed bracelet. She placed the bracelet around his wrist, and with a flash, the bracelet melded into his wrist, creating a pattern not unlike a tattoo.

“Wha-What in Merlin’s name…?” cried Sirius. “What did you do to me?!?”

“If you’re ever in trouble, this will give you an escape route. Just trust me. Would I ever hurt you?” her tone turned from serious to joking…but the ominous undertone still remained.

“Uh…yeah…but will I ever get in trouble?” asked Sirius. “After all, I am Sirius Black!”

“There will be a day where you’ll thank me, Sirius, for precisely the reason you have just spoken: you are Sirius Black.” Lily turned, and went back into the house, leaving a very confused Sirius Black behind.

Now he knew. He knew why she had done it, and he was grateful. But why hadn’t it worked last year? Maybe because he had doubted, like he had doubted her when he suggested to use Wormtail as their Secret Keeper. Merlin! He kept doing everything wrong! If it hadn’t been for him…no, he had to focus. He could bemoan his situation later. There was Harry to think about…

All of a sudden, he felt nauseous. What was going on? Why was the room spinning? Instinctively, he transformed into his Animagus form…and with a flash, he was out cold…and out of Azkaban.

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Remus woke up with a shock. Lily…again! It almost seemed as if she was as omniscient as Dumbledore seemed to be. How could have she known? And why had she waited three years? All these thoughts jumbled and swirled in his head, and he was feeling as nauseous as Sirius had just before he had escaped. After what seemed to be forever, a voice cut through the fog in his mind. Who was that? Why did it seem so familiar…yet, why couldn’t he place it? Why couldn’t he see anything? What was going on?

“Remus,” called the voice again. “This is urgent. Listen! Stop dreaming!”

Another shock coursed through his body. Of course he knew that voice! “Prongs!” he shouted.

“Finally,” added another voice. Lily.

“What am I doing here? Am I…dead?” He didn’t want to offend his friends. Could you offend people in the afterlife?

“No, Moony, you’re unconscious right now, that’s all,” James replied. “Now, Lily, you must tell Remus the instructions to open your vault.”

“Oh, yes! I can’t believe it took you this long to get here…what has happened to my poor Harry?” said Lily.

James chided, “We can ask later, Lily. Right now, Moony has to know – ”

“Right. This is going to seem a bit farfetched…” Lily said, then continued. “Vault 728, that’s the one you’ll want to go to. Remember to bring Padfoot and Sev along – you’ll be able to find Padfoot at our old house. This is important: Sirius, Harry, and Severus must link together somehow – I don’t remember quite what I did, but it should suffice –then chant the spell I have bestowed upon them. They will remember everything, hopefully…if the charm works.”

“So…Sirius, Harry, and Severus must link, and then chant the spell simultaneously? And they’ll know this spell right away?” Remus asked, a trifle befuddled.

“Something like that. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Now, about Harry. Where has he been since we’ve been gone?” asked Lily.

“Err…well, he’s been with your sister – ”

 “My sister?!? Why the bloody hell would you give my boy to Petunia? Don’t you know what a – ”

“But we’ve removed him from your sister’s care, and the Headmaster is taking care of him,” said Remus, trying to rectify the situation.

“Didn’t you read our will?” asked Lily, then she muttered, “Dunderheads, honestly!”

“What will?” asked Remus, surprised. They had searched high and low for a will, but they had never found one, so they had more or less guessed that Harry would be best off with his aunt, uncle, and cousin.

“The will in Harry’s bear, that will!” shouted Lily. Seeing Lily’s agitation, James moved over and wrapped his arm around her, but it did nothing to stop her sobs. “Oh, Harry!”

“Don’t worry, he’s safe now,” reassured Remus.

“Oh, right, safe. Probably damaged from the time he spent with Petunia!” exclaimed Lily, then asked, almost guardedly, “How many years have we been gone?”

“Three years, about…” said Remus.

“Three bloody years! My poor Harry!”

“There, there, Lils, he’s in good hands now, remember? He’s with Dumbledore,” said James. Amazingly, Lily ceased her wailing, though her sobs could still be heard. “Thanks, Moony, for telling us. And be sure to relay all that information to Dumbledore, would you?”

Remus felt as if he was being dismissed. “Yeah, I will, don’t worry, Prongs. I won’t let you down, for sure.”

“You do that, Moony. I think – ”

Remus couldn’t catch the rest of his words, as he drifted into black oblivion once more. Again, he heard a voice calling his name. This time, he knew who it was. Good old Severus Snape.

“Lupin, if you don’t wake up this instant, I will hex you into oblivion, believe me. You have wasted far too much time – ”

“I’m awake, I’m awake,” said Remus, slowly re-gaining his senses.

“Do you know how worried everyone has been?” exclaimed Madame Pomfrey. “And you had to be the one who was hurt! Did you see Albus getting hurt? Or Amelia? No, it’s you in here…again, just like the old days. Why can’t you be more careful?”

“Poppy, it’s not like I purposely fainted,” said Remus wryly. “It’s quite embarrassing to faint, you know.”

“You never know. Maybe you just missed me too much, or you wanted the attention,” said Poppy. Every time he saw her, they had a contest of words. More often than not, Poppy won – but only because she took advantage of the fact that he was sick.

“Poppy, quickly, you have to ask the Headmaster to come immediately,” said Remus urgently, as the information from the dream meeting came floating back. As Severus turned to leave, Remus added, “Severus, please, you have to stay too.”

“And why,” he sneered. “Would a wolf require my attention?”

“Please, Severus. You’re needed,” said Remus.

“Needed? You mean, discarded once I am no longer…needed, don’t you?” Severus’s face contorted as he spat out the words.

“No, Severus,” another voice sounded. It was Dumbledore, swooping in as grandly as Severus did when he left the Great Hall. “You are a valued member, Severus, never forget that.”

“How can I forget, when that is all you say, Headmaster?” said Severus sarcastically. “Now, wolf, out with it. I do not want to waste my time for more than is necessary.”

“I am sure you won’t find it a waste, Severus. Lily…she spoke to me,” said Remus haltingly. “She told me how to open vault 728…and incidentally, Severus, have you received mail from her lately?”

“Yes, this one letter a week ago… The Muggle mail must really be improved, it’s not efficient at all,” said Severus. “Why?”

“Well, do you have a key?” asked Remus.

“What key?” asked Severus.

Remus groaned. Another of Lily’s tricks! At that moment, an owl blistered into the window, nearly taking a chunk of Severus’s hair with it. It settled down, soon enough, and hovered near Severus, almost willing him to take the letter. Gingerly, Severus took the letter. His breath caught – it was another letter from Lily!

“Well, what are you waiting for? Open it already!” said Remus, impatiently, then faltered, when Severus glared at him.

Severus painstakingly opened the envelope, partially to spite Lupin, but also because his heart was giving way. Why had Lily sent him another letter? And how had Lupin known? His fingers shook. In the envelope was a key. As Severus grasped the key, it melded into his skin, on his wrist.

“What in Merlin’s –” Severus shouted. Everyone else seemed just as shocked, except for Lupin, who sat there, smiling smugly.

“Don’t worry, I’m not laughing at you,” said Remus, as Severus’s glare intensified. “You see…I saw Sirius going through the same thing. And I understand now, I think.”

“My boy, don’t hold things back from us. What is it that Lily has told you?” asked Dumbledore.

Remus chuckled. “We need to find Padfoot first –” he kept talking over the protests. “He’s at James’s old house right now. I’ll tell you everything after we get him back. He’s our top priority right now…after all, we owe that much to him.”

--------------------------------------------------------

Minerva was having the time of her life. Turns out Severus had little Harry…and he was the cutest thing! Naturally, she was shocked when they had first arrived.

“Why Severus, come in! I haven’t seen you in a while…how have you been?” asked Minerva.

“You mean, where have I been,” said Severus dryly. “I recently moved into my uncle’s place.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” said Minerva. “And have you news of Harry?”

“What makes you think I’d know where the bloody Boy-Who-Lived is?” sneered Severus. Of course, that had been ruined by a little voice down the hall yelling, “Dada!”

“Dada?” Minerva had asked incredulously, then she laughed, loud and hard. To think! Severus had his worst enemy’s son! And he had called Severus ‘Dada’!

Severus winced. He was never going to live this down. “Now, Minerva, I trust you’ll be able to keep this to yourself?”

“Of course, my dear Severus, of course!” her eyes twinkled quite like those of the Headmaster’s…which, in her case, indicated she felt no obligation to listen to him.

“Professor, really…and I was about to ask you for a favour too!” said Severus, trying to manipulate the situation, and Minerva fell right into the trap.

“Oh, and what can I do for you, young man?” she asked. “My, I must be popular today!”

Severus internally sighed. He had to feed her ego, or she’d needle him incessantly. “But you must promise to keep mine and Harry’s little secret.”

“Yes, yes, Severus,” she said impatiently. “What do you want?”

“I’d like you to babysit Harry today. The Headmaster has notified me of Lupin’s…errr…incident, and I must attend to it immediately.”

“I’d be glad to,” said Minerva. How she adored the little child! And he was all hers for the day. She kneeled down, wincing as she heard the creaking, but smiled at the little boy hiding in Severus’s robes. “Hello, Harry, I’m your Aunt Minnie.”

Severus led the boy to the front, and gently guided him, “Say hello, Harry. There’s no need to be scared. Remember? This is the cat professor I was talking about earlier.”

Harry shyly took his thumb out of his mouth, and said in a quiet voice, “Hewwo, Aun’ Minnie.”

Minerva almost melted right then and there. He was adorable!

At a noise, Minerva snapped back into the present. It was little Harry, who was giggling in delight over the new stuffed dinosaur he had gotten from Minerva – transfigured from a sock last minute. He was so precious, and Albus had no right in giving him to Lily’s sister. Thank God the Muggles hadn’t ruined him.

“Aun’ Minnie?” asked Harry shyly.

“Yes, my wee laddie, what would you like?” asked Minerva.

“Fanxyou!” And little Harry broke into the most brilliant smile she had ever seen…and she almost burst into tears – almost. 

“Sirius!” called Remus. “Sirius!”

They couldn’t find him. They had searched the grounds from top to bottom, and there was no sign of him. It was so frustrating. Well, to be exact, they hadn’t searched their boyhood hideout – and who knew what condition it was in now? Sighing, he made his way to the cave in the far back corner of the property. Along the way, his keen hearing picked up footsteps behind him. After a couple of minutes, the footsteps were still there, but he sensed no animosity in the person or thing behind him. He paused, and the footsteps also paused, though this time, they were a millisecond behind. Sick of the charade, he whirled around – his wand drawn.

It was only Severus. “Put it down, Lupin,” he drawled. “Had I really intended to hurt you, you wouldn’t even have known.”

“Very funny, Severus,” Remus snarled. “You don’t know what I could have done to you!”

“Lupin, I am well aware of what you are capable of. Now, would you like to tell me to where this illustrious path takes us?” asked Severus. “I hope you know what you are doing.”

“Of course I do!” Remus said, then suddenly stopped. “Wait…now, how did we open it again?”

Remus took a deep breath, and muttered a string of unintelligible words, or so it seemed to Severus. All of a sudden, the place lit alight, and Severus was able to see a cave in front of them. He frowned. He hadn’t known the Marauders had known such complicated spellwork. But then again, James had been talented at Transfiguration…

Remus gestured towards Severus, indicating that he should follow. They made their way into the cave, and Severus gasped. It looked nothing like the rough exterior he had seen. Instead, he saw a Quidditch pitch, a lounging area, and a huge library. The library must’ve been Remus’s contribution. It was, frankly, the most amazing place Severus had ever seen, well, except Hogwarts. But for a hideout, it was pretty damn good.

Remus had also gasped at the same time, but not at the sights, but at a single black dog curled on the sofa, snoring lightly. He tugged on Severus’s robes. “Severus, look! It’s Sirius!”

Severus’s eyes narrowed. He had been conflicted over this…after all, Harry was Black’s godson. Would he try to take Harry away from him? Oh, right, it’s not like he was really attached to the child. Maybe Black would be a welcome change. He would have to see. Before he could even stop Remus, or re-consider, Remus had rushed over to the black dog, and begun shaking him. “Sirius, Sirius!”

That made an awful lot of sense. Of course Sirius was an Animagus! He snorted. How could he have not known that? He had seen the dog a couple of times back when he was at school…then, he suddenly recoiled in horror.

Severus was under a tree, reading, well, mainly trying to hide from the Marauders, who had seen fit to pick on him. Generally, this spot was pretty good, especially since Severus had enforced the place with a misdirection spell. Today though, a dog had broken through the spell, apparently. It was hurt and wounded, or so it seemed. Severus, with his affinity with animals, was moved to help the dog, and soon, the wounds had all disappeared.

They had sat in silence, the dog seeming to be apprehensive. Severus scoffed at himself. Since when did a dog have enough emotions to be apprehensive? No, he dismissed it as a fear of humans, perhaps even the inflictors of the wounds on the dog.

“Dog…isn’t it a wonderful day today?” Severus internally winced. He never did know how to start a conversation. The dog ignored him. He tried again. “What’s your name?”

The dog looked at him. “Hmmm…I suppose I shall have to name you.” He paused, and thought. “What about Black? No, wait, that’s too much like that prick. Blackie? Is that a good name?”

The dog refused to answer. Severus sighed. “I know how you feel, dog. Sometimes, I don’t want to talk either. It’s so much better in the silence. You know, depending on yourself. No one to pick on you, no one to tell you what to do…”

The dog barked once, as if to state agreement. And so began a tentative friendship, that seventh year at Hogwarts.

Had Severus known! The blasted dog was Black! Hmph. Well, perhaps they could start from there. After all, Severus would like to see Harry at some point in his life. But Remus had not succeeded in waking up the dog. In fact, the dog was in a very deep sleep. Well, naturally, it was exhausting to escape from Azkaban, right? Severus frowned. Having had basic Healer training, he knew that Black should have woken up. But it didn’t seem that Black was in a coma. Inadvertently, he walked towards Sirius, and gently lay a touch on the mutt. The place flooded with light, again, but this time was so bright it almost blinded the two men. An ethereal mist flooded the room, and something – or someone – stepped out.

Severus was unable to move, though he knew he probably ought to defend himself. But in a moment, he relaxed. It was Lily. Severus started though. “Lily?”

-----------------------------------------------------------

Harry was having the time of his life. Normally an obedient child, Harry was doing the complete opposite today. Perhaps it was because he was much less apprehensive, but it was more probable that he was just plain bored. And so when his babysitter had fallen asleep in the chair by the fireplace, Harry had immediately gone exploring, dragging along his stuffed dinosaur he had dubbed Twiggy. At first, he had been satisfied to explore the rooms he was in, but soon, he was bored. Sure, the murals on the walls were nice, but he had nothing to do. He left Minerva’s rooms, but not before leaving a note. That was what his teacher had said at school: if you were going out somewhere, you should always let an adult know. Fishing around Minerva’s desk, he finally found a piece of parchment. Now, how was he going to write? He looked in her drawers, but all she had were these funny feather things. How he wished he had brought his pencil with him! Then, all of a sudden, his favourite pencil flew at him! He smiled...unaware that he had just done magic. To him, he just thought it was part of the castle’s feature. After all, Dada had said the castle was magic.

Deer Ant Mini, he wrote,

I b bac. I go aut now.

…and proudly signed his name with a flourish.  He loved his name, with the double r’s, and the y. He always made sure his ‘y’ had a very pretty loop. Then he jumped off the chair, grabbed Twiggy, and opened the door a crack. Glancing down the hallway, he made sure that no one was around first. Being sure it was safe, he tiptoed out the door, and quietly closed it behind him. It wouldn’t do to have his Aunt Minnie wake up, nope, not at all.

Harry was having lots of fun. He said ‘hi’ to all the ghosts (who were all nice, even Peeves), played in classrooms, sneaked into suits of armour, and played in a very big tub. As the hours ticked by, he realized he was very tired, and headed back to his Aunt Minnie’s rooms. But he couldn’t find them! How frustrating. He was sure it was a left, then a right, then a left again…or was it a right? Harry was feeling rather put out. Why couldn’t he remember? After all, Dada had said he was extremely brilliant…which was a good thing, right? He didn’t know actually, just that it sounded nice. He wished again, hoping against hope that someone would help him. All of a sudden, a door popped out on the blank wall beside him. Huh? That door wasn’t there before! No wonder he kept getting lost, what with all the disappearing and appearing doors. Put out, he reached up for the handle, and opened the door.

---------------------------------------------------------

Minerva was out of her mind with worry. Where had the waif gone? She swore she had been out no more than twenty minutes. At first she had thought he was merely in the bathroom, but then she saw the note. Her heart stopped. Hogwarts could be extremely dangerous for a child. There were all sorts of places he could get lost in, and there were even parts of the castle that were downright perilous. She hoped he was all right. No, more than hoped. She was (mentally) down on her knees praying to God to keep the child safe. What were Albus and Severus going to say? Not that they came first before the child…

She couldn’t leave the rooms for fear that Harry might come back and find no one here. And there weren’t any other teachers in the building. They had all returned home for a brief vacation before the school year. Suddenly, she had an idea. The house elves could help, couldn’t they?

“Cicero!” she called.

“Yes, mistress, you call?” the elf popped in.

“Harry…has gone missing. Could you please go look for him and bring him back please?” asked Minerva, glad that this was one house elf she could depend on.

“Yes, mistress,” he answered, bowing deeply, then popping out again.

But her attempts to find the child were fruitless. Cicero enlisted other house elves, to no avail. Minerva was ready to tear her hair out. She was about to call Albus when she suddenly heard a little patter of feet outside her door. Who could that be?

The door opened, revealing a very happy little Harry.

“Harry Potter!” cried Minerva. “Where have you been?!? I’ve been looking for you for three hours!”

Harry’s face fell, and twisted. Immediately, Minerva softened her tone. “Come here, Harry, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“N-no hurt me?” he asked, trembling, clutching his Twiggy tightly.

“Merlin, no! What made you think such a thing?” asked Minerva, shocked. What had the Dursleys (or, God forbid, Severus) done to this child?

“Un’le Vernon did,” said Harry matter-of-factly. “Whene’er I bad.”

“Oh, child, I’m sure you were never bad,” said Minerva, realizing the magnitude of her compliance to Albus’s decision that night three years ago. She reeled with shock, but steadied herself when she noticed the child staring at her. “Come here, Harry.”

Harry tentatively made his way to her, and Minerva placed him on her lap. “Now, Harry, I was just worried about you. You didn’t tell me where you are going, and this place can be very dangerous. Next time you go exploring, remember to take me or another adult – that you know ­– with you, all right?”

Harry solemnly nodded. Minerva continued on with a smile. “I’m really proud of your note, though, Harry. Your handwriting is quite nice.”

“Fanxyou,” said Harry beaming. Not many people complimented him, but ever since Dada had rescued him, everyone seemed to like doing it. Oh, well. It wasn’t that he didn’t like it; in fact, he loved it. But something inside of him tempered his ego; it was his aunt and uncle’s words that haunted him.

“But what did you write it with? This doesn’t look like a quill,” said Minerva. “In fact, it looks almost like pencil. But where did you find a pencil, Harry?”

Harry showed her his favourite pencil, smiling all the while. “Harry, that’s a really nice pencil. Where did you get it?”

“My teacha gafe it to me,” said Harry.

“Do you carry it with you everywhere?” asked Minerva.

“No, it wash at home in cubba,” said Harry.

“Cubba?” asked Minerva, when it dawned on her. “Cupboard?”

“Cubba,” affirmed Harry.

“At your uncle’s?” whispered Minerva, shocked again.

Harry nodded.

“So how did you get it, then?” asked Minerva.

“I wish harded,” said Harry. “An’ cassle ansver!”

Minerva was shocked for the third time that day. Firstly, she realized the extent to which the Dursleys’ had abused him, secondly, the fact that she had been an unwitting participant…and lastly, that Harry undeniably, had strong magic.

She had never seen a child with so much potential. He had called a pencil from Surrey to Scotland, of all things. Suddenly, she was excited again. She couldn’t wait to tell Albus and Severus!

-----------------------------------------------------------

Albus was just finishing up the paperwork for Sirius’s release with the Minister, when Minerva’s head popped through the fireplace.

“Albus, are you b –?” her eyes widened. “Why, hello, there, Madam!”

“No need to be so formal, Minnie. After all, we are childhood friends!” answered Madam Bagnold. “Come through!”

Minerva stepped into Albus’s office, and brushed the soot off her robes. “Why are you here today, Milly?”

“I haven’t been called that in forever!” the Minister laughed. “We’re just finishing Sirius Black’s discharge papers.”

“Discharge?” asked Minerva in disbelief. “How – ?”

“Minerva, we’ve found proof of his innocence,” said Albus gently, guiding her into a nearby chair. She thankfully collapsed into it, a feeling of disbelief and relief coming upon her. Albus continued, “Lily left behind notes, stating exactly who their Secret Keeper was.”

“It wasn’t Sirius?” she whispered hoarsely. “Who was it?”

“It was Peter Pettigrew,” said Albus grimly. “And I’ve found where he is, at the moment.”

“Pettigrew…is alive?” asked Minerva. “But how?”

“From Sirius’s Pensieve, we discovered that Peter was an Animagus – a rat. He was also responsible for the deaths of the nearby bystanders,” said the Minister.

“Thank God,” said Minerva, then quickly amended her statement. “That it wasn’t Sirius, I mean.”

“Yes,” said Albus. “But what the poor boy has gone through!”

“We can deal with that, Albus,” said Minerva firmly. “So, where is he?”

“Remus and Severus are currently looking for him,” said the Minister. “He…escaped from Azkaban before we could free him.”

Minerva chuckled. “Yes, that sounds like him.”

Albus’s eyes twinkled. “Well, let’s hope they do…we have a lot to make up for to that boy.”

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Lucius paced in front of his father’s portrait in his study. What did Yaxley and Dolohov want? Didn’t he do as they demanded already? He wanted his son so badly. How could they have done this to him? Didn’t they trust him?

“Cease this pacing,” Abraxas ordered. “You will not get my grandson back this way.”

Immediately, Lucius paused. “But what can I do, Father? I have no idea where he is…nor if he is still alive!”

“He is still alive. I have heard naught of any wizarding child enter the afterlife,” stated Abraxas. “Did you talk to Minerva?”

Lucius’s curiosity piqued. “Why do you call her that, Father?”

Abraxas bristled. “Call her what?”

“Minerva. You never call any of the Light by their first names,” said Lucius, grinning, as if to imply something else.

“Nothing of the sort, you impudent whelp. We were friends…of sorts,” said Abraxas. “It is none of your business.”

“If you are sure, Father,” said Lucius.

Suddenly, an owl flew into the room. Lucius didn’t recognize the bird, but immediately knew it was news of his son. Ripping it open, he tossed the envelope aside, and began to read.

My dear Lucius,

How does it feel to be on the lower end of the ladder? You are thinking of your son, right now, are you not? We have one more task for you, and do not even think of calling the Aurors. Your son will die if you do.

We are planning to…retire, but we have to wrap up our business first. You will help us with our last deal, and only then will we let your child go. On the day of the exchange, we will be there. That child in exchange for your own.

You are asking, what child? I will tell you. His name is Harry Potter. I know your thirst for vengeance is the same as ours, so this will perhaps be easy for you. Despite this, we will keep your child as insurance. Potter is currently in the care of Albus Dumbledore. I’m sure you can get your contacts to ferret the information out of him?

Our meeting date is September 2nd. Do not be late…or your precious little blond will be covered in blood.

                                                                                Sincerely yours,

                                                                Theodore Yaxley and Antonin Dolohov

“Well, read it to me already,” said Abraxas, all the while watching his son’s face fall. “What does it say?”

Lucius read it out loud, feeling sick. “What can we do, Father? You don’t know these two! They’re violent, vicious…capable of anything!”

“Go. Go talk to Dumbledore and Minerva now,” ordered Abraxas. “You have no time. This is in two weeks. You must have time to prepare.”

“But they said not to contact the Aurors!” cried Lucius in anguish.

“No, not you specifically, but Dumbledore and Minerva can,” said Abraxas calmly. “You must trust me on this. Minerva will know what to do. After all, she does have a vested interest…”

“What?!?” asked Lucius.

“Never mind,” said Abraxas. “Go, now! I will take care of Narcissa.”

Lucius fled his manor, and within seconds, arrived at Hogwarts.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Yaxley hadn’t harmed the boy. Of course not, the boy was such a sweet child. He had recognized him instantly as Uncle Theo.

“Draco, c’mere. We’re going to prank your dear old dad, all right?” said Yaxley. “But you have to keep it a secret. Can you do it?”

Draco nodded, his prankster ways coming out. The other day, he had frightened his poor mother half to death, and she was still recovering. Of course, his father wasn’t very happy, but nor was he entirely disapproving either. “What are we going to do, Uncle?”

“We’re going to go away for a while,” responded Yaxley. “The beach sound good to you?”

“Yay! I love the beach!” said Draco.

“Draco, shhh. You don’t want your father hearing you, do you?” said Yaxley. Draco, in response, clasped his hand to his mouth.

“Okay, let’s go!” Yaxley grabbed his Portkey, and they left for the sunny beaches of Monaco. There, they had spent their time swimming, playing ball, watching television (at first, they weren’t sure how to work the thing, but when they did, they had become addicted), and enjoying the sun in general. Draco, normally a very pale boy, had a tan, and his hair turned darker, not quite brown, but definitely not blonde. Had Lucius seen him, he wouldn’t have recognized him. Which made it all the better. Yaxley hoped that Dolohov had given the letter to Lucius. It was imperative that they did so. After all, their Lord was coming back…and Yaxley wanted to be in his good favours when he did.

Yaxley himself had changed his appearance, but not naturally. He took Polyjuice everyday, just in case someone might recognize him. The reign of Voldemort was still in people’s minds, and Yaxley knew that. His latest business had also placed him in danger, so he had taken extra precautions. Back home, he’d had someone pose as him, in case Lucius did find them. He fully expected that. Lucius was not a man to be trifled with, nor was he stupid.

For now, though, he was going to relax and enjoy the sun. Maybe he’d spend the rest of his life here, until it was safe to go back. Now, there was a thought. He lay back, and dozed, listening to the happy screams of little Draco. 

Lucius ran. He felt like the wrath of the Almighty God was upon him…or so it seemed. Every second meant that his son was closer to death. How he hated Yaxley! Why, oh why, did he have to do this to him? He ran past the Great Hall, up stairs, down stairs…until he finally reached the Headmaster’s office. Catching his breath, and trying to reassume his dignity, he knocked. “Come in!” he heard. That wasn’t the Headmaster…but he couldn’t quite place the name. Quietly, he opened the door.

The sight that greeted him shocked him. The Headmaster, Professor McGonagall, and…the Minister of Magic?  What was she doing here? What was going on? ‘They’re just old friends having a chat,’ he told himself. ‘There’s nothing going on.’

“Ah, Lucius,” said Dumbledore. “How may I help you today?”

“Good evening, Headmaster, Professor, Madame Minister,” said Lucius, the words running off of his glib tongue. “I do hope I’m not disturbing anything…”

“Nothing of the sort, dear boy,” said Dumbledore. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Professor McGonagall saw through him. She always could…though how, he never knew. “Is everything all right, Lucius?”

“Ah, well that is…” stumbled Lucius, internally cursing himself. Why couldn’t he be more like his father?

“Anything said here will remain here,” said Dumbledore. “And you can be sure the Minister is capable of holding her tongue.”

Lucius blushed. “I didn’t mean to imply that. My apologies, Madame.”

The Minister smiled. “No harm done, young Malfoy. Now, what was so urgent that you came in such a huff?”

A huff? He certainly did not – indignant, he opened his mouth, but closed it when his brain finally caught up. “Professor, it’s about the matter I spoke with you about…but they’ve gone a step further now.”

Anyone could have seen Lucius was a wreck, barely maintaining composure. Quickly, Professor McGonagall was on her feet and settling Lucius on the chair she previously occupied. She transfigured a nearby stool into a comfortable chair, and sat down. She paused, and asked, “Lucius, would you like me to tell them first? You can tell us the news when you are ready.”

At Lucius’s nod, she began. She told Dumbledore everything, including her side of the news. She had already informed the Aurors, and they were already working on Draco’s case. Lucius almost lost his composure there and then. He hadn’t expected her to do it that fast! His father was right: she did have some kind of interest…but what?

The Minister and Dumbledore had been shocked, and had shown their amazement several times throughout the narrative. Finally, after Professor McGonagall had finished, they began talking – all at once. In fact, had the subject not been so serious, Lucius would have laughed.

Dumbledore and the Minister looked at each other sheepishly, inviting the other to speak. Finally, the Headmaster broke the awkward silence. “Lucius, what news do you have?”

Lucius took a deep breath, and began. “About an hour ago, an owl flew in, bearing another missive from Yaxley. I have it here, if you would like to see it.” He dug the letter out of his pocket, and handed it over to Professor McGonagall.

“You should tell us while Minerva is reading it,” said Dumbledore. “Perhaps we can reach a solution in the meanwhile.”

“Very well,” Lucius replied. “They ask the impossible of me. They ask for…Harry Potter in exchange for my son.”

The silence was loud. Dumbledore was incensed and didn’t trust himself to speak, Minerva was thinking of the child sleeping in her rooms, and the Minister was aghast at the Death Eaters’ audacity.

“I know asking for the Boy-Who-Lived is too much…” said Lucius hesitantly. “That’s why I have come to ask for your help in searching for my son.”

“We’ll find a way, Lucius,” said Professor McGonagall softly. “Don’t worry.”

Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled, probably up to something again.  There was something suspiciously devious about the man, really. “Do you still have the owl with you?”

Lucius thought. He hadn’t dismissed the owl, had he? With relief, he realized he hadn’t. “No, it’s still in my study, I believe.”

“Good, good. Could you please bring me the owl please?” Dumbledore asked. “Millicent, you do have an appointment with the Amelia today, no?”

The Minister looked at the time. “Goodness me, I only have two minutes!” and she rushed through the Floo. Lucius soon followed, eager to get his hands on the darned owl.

------------------------------------------------------

“My dear Minerva, you are too obvious. The way you treated the boy – ” and promptly found a pillow stuffed in his mouth.

“I’m sorry I can’t hide my feelings,” said Minerva angrily. “You know, had Abraxas not taken him –”

Albus cut her off. “It’s over and done with now, Minerva. I’m not trying to begrudge you, but perhaps it is time to let go?”

Minerva crumpled. “How can you ask that of me?”

Albus was surprised, not having thought he’d receive that reaction from her. “What are you talking about, Minnie?”

“How can you ask me to give up – ” she faltered. “How can you ask me to give up my son?”

“Your son?!? I thought you were doing it for Abraxas’s sake!” said Albus, suddenly feeling the urge to sit down.

Minerva softened. “You – you were jealous?”

“God, yes!” Albus said. “You’re my everything, Minerva McGonagall. I thought I was losing you to- to a portrait!”

“Really, Albus? And here I thought you were ignoring me,” said Minerva, a Severus-like smirk on her face.

“Minerva! You know I would never –” he stopped when he saw that the love of his life was teasing. “Why you –”

“Why, what?” asked Minerva shyly.

“This,” said Albus, and pulled her into his arms, where they stayed there for a very, very long time. Finally, they came out of their embrace.

“Do you believe me now?” Albus asked softly.

“Yes, Albus,” answered Minerva, and she went back into his arms, feeling content, safe, and happy…until the Floo burst into life. Embarrassed, they pulled apart.

“Hello?” Remus’s head peered out. “Oh, hello, Professor McGonagall, Headmaster!”

“Hello, Remus,” answered Albus. “What news do you have for us?”

“We’ve found Sirius!” exclaimed Remus. “But we have a slight problem…”

“What problem?” asked Albus, quickly, hearing the sharp intake of breath from Minerva beside him.

“Well, Severus and Sirius are knocked out…” said Remus. “And nothing I do will wake them.”

“That’s odd,” said Albus. “Remus, tell me what happened, please.”

“We found Sirius on the couch of the lounge area in our hideout, and I couldn’t wake him up. So Severus, naturally ever the impatient one, moves to wake him. When he touched him…there was a blinding light. I must have been out for at least thirty minutes, Headmaster. And now, they won’t wake up. I tried yelling, blasting music…nothing worked,” said Remus dejectedly.

“Now, that is a problem,” said Albus. “I’m coming. Stay where you are.”

“All right, Headmaster,” answered Remus.

As Albus made his way to enter the Floo network, he noticed Minerva following him. “No, Minnie, you must stay here,” he said.

“Why, Albus?” she asked. “You might need me the –”

Albus placed a finger on her lips. “I know I will need you…but there is someone else who needs you far more than I will. Whether you tell him is up to you, but for now, care for him.”

He pulled her into his arms again, and lightly kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be back, Minnie, as quickly as you can say ‘purple monkey dishwashers’!”

He quickly left, leaving Minerva to wonder, “What in Merlin’s name are dishwashers?”

-----------------------------------------------------

 Harry woke up from his wonderful nap. He had dreamt about flying on magic carpets with his Dada, and making huge watercolours on the walls. He exhaled with excitement. Maybe Dada would come back soon and help him draw a picture! Or no, better yet, he could draw a picture for Dada, and Aun’ Minnie. Good thing she left him with parchment and colouring crayons.

He jumped off the bed, and ran over to the table, reaching for all the utensils he would use. When he was satisfied, he sat down and began drawing Hogwarts, with clouds and a big sun in the back, and Severus and Harry in the foreground. Surprisingly talented for a child of four, he had managed to sketch out a more-or-less lifelike version of Hogwarts. Severus he had more trouble with. How do you draw a man’s robes billowing? Harry thought about it again, really hard, and voila! The robes and the clouds were moving. He hoped Dada would like it.

For Minerva’s he drew her rooms (which her a lot easier, since they were right in front of him), with Minerva sitting at her desk looking fondly at a smiling Harry playing with Twiggy. The fireplace he drew cackled in the background, flickering, courtesy of his newfound skills. When he was done, he carefully placed his name at the bottom of both the pictures, and at the back, addressed them to the appropriate recipient.

Suddenly, Harry was feeling tired again (probably from using too much magic), and he crawled back in bed, clutching Twiggy. Within minutes, he was fast asleep, dreaming of the pleasant future.

“Harry, Harry!”

“Mommy?” asked Harry. “Where are you?”

“I’m right here, darling,” said Lily. “Now listen, Harry. You have to remember this, all right?”

“Yes, Mommy,” replied Harry, whose babyish language was gone, probably because it was just a dream. “Mommy, will it be scary?”

“No, darling. You will be very happy, I think.” Lily smiled, and then continued. “Your Uncle Padfoot and your Dad are asleep right now. You need to go tell your Aunt Minnie how to wake them up.”

“Why can’t they wake up themselves?” asked Harry.

“Shush, baby, listen. I don’t have much time left. You have to tell them to take the key and have them hold it – together. It will only work then, okay? Can you remember that, darling?” asked Lily.

“Yes, Mommy,” said Harry. “You know I love you, right, Mommy?”

Lily’s eyes filled with tears. “Yes, baby, I know. I love you too.”

She glanced around, as if hearing something afar. “I have to go now, baby. I love you…”

“I love you too, Mommy!” said Harry.

“Harry? Harry?”

“Mommy? Wha’chu doin’, Mommy?” asked Harry sleepily.

“It’s your Aunt Minnie, Harry. It’s time for dinner, dear,” said Minerva.  “C’mon dear, wake up.”

“Aun’ Minnie? I got somesing ta tell yu!” said Harry, immediately wide awake. “Abou’ Un’le Pa'foo and Dada.”

Minerva was alert. How did the child know about Sirius? “What is it, Harry?”

“Mommy say that Un’le Pa'foo and Dada haft a hol’ key togetha in hand ta wakes up,” said Harry.

Minerva was shocked. Lily talked to Harry? How? But she knew the matter in hand was more urgent. She ran to her fireplace, called for Albus, and relayed the news to him. Within minutes, the two of them were awake. What a miracle!

----------------------------------------------------------

Albus and Remus were at their wits’ ends. No matter what they did, they couldn’t wake them up. No spell, no charm, no force could wake them. They were like the living dead.  Remus was slouched on the other couch, and Albus was exploring the boys’ hideout. The Marauders were quite ingenious, really. How could boys at the age of 15 make this? They had probably made adjustments over the years, but Albus could still see the basic framework.

He smiled over at “his boys.” They were all outcasts in some sense: Sirius the outcast of a Dark family, and Remus and Severus, outcasts of society. And Albus had taken them in, adopted them, really. He had been so terribly heartbroken when Severus and Sirius were intent upon killing each other. Remus…he was proud of, always mediating between the two.

Suddenly, Minerva’s head popped out of the fireplace, startling him. “Albus! Albus! I’ve got instructions for you!”

“Instructions, Minerva? From whom?”

“Lily,” she answered. “Relayed to little Harry, of course.”

Albus smiled. “So tell me.”

Minerva told him all that Harry had told her, and soon both Albus’s wayward boys were awake. Of course, they weren’t very happy when they found out they were holding each other’s hand…(probably the understatement of the year, actually).

“Eugh!” cried Sirius. “Why I am holding Snivellus’s hand?!”

“The sentiment goes both ways,” snarled Severus, and forcefully extracted his hand from the shocked Black. “Now, if you excuse me, I have a child to tend to.”

He walked off, leaving Sirius bewildered. “Child? Snivellus?!?”

----------------------------------------------------------

Remus and Sirius finally met Harry after three long, agonizing years. They were delighted to know that Harry still remembered them, and their nicknames. Severus and Minerva, on the other hand, were awe-struck at the quality of the drawings Harry had given them. Not only did he have talent in art, but he was quite talented in magic too! Severus couldn’t help but feel proud. His Harry was going to be a powerful wizard.

Dumbledore entered the room, and the table quieted expectantly. “Sirius, in Lily’s letter, she stated that you knew how to access her vault?”

Sirius blanked. What? Really? “Uhhh…”

“Oh dear,” Albus sighed. “Are you sure?”

“Let me think,” muttered Sirius irritably, and promptly was cuffed in the ear by Minerva. “Oww! What was that for?”

“You’re even more of a child than little Harry here,” said Minerva primly. “Now watch your mouth.”

“How can I watch my mouth when it’s on my face?” asked Sirius innocently.

“Would you like to have your mouth taken off your face?” asked Minerva sweetly.

“Uhhh, no, it’s all right,” said Sirius, and began shovelling food into his mouth. Then, it was as if a light bulb went off in his head.

“Oh, Headmaster?” Food spewed out of his mouth. “Whoops.” He cleaned it up, and continued. “Sni-Severus, Harry, and I are to go to the vault on a Wednesday in the month of August. Any Wednesday, Lily said. She said if we went on any other day, all we’d see is junk. There’s also some kind of pass code, but that we’d know it right away when we got there.”

Albus nodded. He’d expected something like that from Lily. What a devious mind, indeed! She could easily have been Slytherin…and Severus wouldn’t have been so alone during his Hogwarts years. He turned his attention back to the table, where he realized everyone was staring at him. He coughed. “Tomorrow is Wednesday, is it not? We should probably get a good night’s sleep tonight. Remus and Sirius, you may take the guest rooms on the fifth floor. Minerva, could I speak to you privately later on?”

“Why, of course, Albus,” she graciously replied. “I’ll be there around eight, is that all right?”

“Perfect,” he replied. Everyone else around them was trying to stifle their laughter. After all, they had tried to put the two together…and now they had managed to do so, all on their own. Harry, extremely tired after his long day, yawned. Severus noticed, and quickly said his goodnight’s, promised he’d meet them at Gringotts’ tomorrow at nine, and left, eager to place his sleepy charge in bed.

--------------------------------------------------------

“Harry?”

“Yesh, Dada?” Harry mumbled.

“Good night,” said Severus, kissing the top of his head, and made sure the blankets wrapped him securely. He didn’t want the boy to catch a cold. As he turned to leave, he heard Harry’s voice. “What did you say, Harry?”

“I luf you, Dada,” he said.

After a pause, Severus replied, “I love you too, Harry. I love you.”

-----------------------------------------------------

“Why did you give Harry to Snivellus?!?” demanded Sirius. “He-he’s a Death Eater, for God’s sake. Why didn’t someone else take him?!?”

“Harry adores Severus,” stated Minerva firmly. “And Severus loves him back. Why must you insist on ruining the poor man’s only chance at happiness? And why tear apart a family?”

“A family?” scoffed Sirius. “Like Snape even knows the meaning of family.”

“I’m not so sure you know, either,” said Albus, quietly. “I love all three of you like my own, yet you insist upon shattering what peace we have, Sirius. I’m sorry you spent so many years in Azkaban; but that doesn’t give you the excuse to rail and deface the name of Severus.”

Remus added, “You shouldn’t call him Snivellus either. His name is Severus.”

“Why is everyone on the greasy git’s side? And I thought the outside would be so much better than Azkaban. Well, at least now I know better.” He stormed off in a huff, slamming the door when he reached the end of the Great Hall.

Remus stood up, and excused himself from the table. “I’m going to follow Sirius…you know how he gets when he’s like this. I’ll make sure he won’t hurt himself.” He left with a sheepish look, only peering once at the faces of Albus and Minerva.

“Well, that ended, rather…well…” said Albus.

“Don’t worry, Albus, they’ll sort themselves out,” replied Minerva. “But for now, we have all the time in the world together. What would you like to do tonight?”

“Gaze upon your beautiful face,” said Albus. “But we could talk a bit – ”

“Oh, good, because I don’t feel at all narcissistic tonight,” replied Minerva. They spent the rest of the evening cuddling on a nearby couch, in front of the fireplace.

Severus tossed and turned on his bed. Would he have to give up Harry to Sirius? He remembered the day he had resolved to keep the little boy. And now…well, it seemed his previous attitude – to be indifferent towards the boy – had been the better option. After all, Severus would never be able to see Harry again, were Sirius to get his way. It was always like that. He knew Dumbledore meant no harm; he just liked Gryffindors more than Slytherins, probably because he had been a Gryffindor. His entire life at Hogwarts had been miserable, thanks to two Gryffindors and their heartless pranks – and to some extent, his surrogate father’s inability to see past the glory of Gryffindor. And now, his life was again being torn apart again by the Gryffindor conspiracy. What was he going to do? A part of him wanted to snatch Harry up and disappear forever from this cruel and unfair world. The problem was…he didn’t have anywhere to go. Years ago, when he pledged his loyalty to the Light, his father had made him hand over a list of all his residences. How he regretted it now! He should have kept one back. At the time, he had been so terrified he had followed all the instructions to the letter. He could always run to America. It should be easy to get lost there. After all, he could easily make money. His heart raced, and he leapt off the bed, pacing. But how would he get out of Hogwarts without Dumbledore knowing?

His heart sank. He knew his father kept watch of every single fireplace in the school. Maybe he should talk it over with him first. At least then he’d know how Severus felt towards Harry, since they hadn’t really talked since Harry was given over to Severus. Yes, that was what he was going to do. He made his way to his door, when he heard a cry. Was that Harry? He rushed to Harry’s room, praying that the little boy was all right.  Sure enough, it was Harry. And to Severus’s horror, the little boy’s forehead was bleeding – right where the scar was.

“Harry!” Severus rushed over to his side, and began to try to stop the bleeding, to no avail. What was this? What was going on? Then his mark flared, and he gasped in agony. Why? Was the Dark Lord back? He had no time to think. All of a sudden, a white light flared, and he slipped from reality.

He awoke with a start. Where was he? His surroundings no longer resembled his headquarters. And there was something heavy in his arms. Harry had come with him? He shifted Harry into one arm, and with the other, took out his wand. He had never seen this place before. It was light, airy and warm. The lawn on which he stood was well kept, and the sun was shining brightly. It was picture perfect, or so Severus would have said, had he not known what the world really was like. But it didn’t matter, not when something took his breath away. No, not something – someone. She walked out of the house, and smiled at him.

“Lily?”

“Yes, my dear Sev, it’s me,” the reply came. Severus almost fainted. Were they dead then?

“No, Sev, you aren’t dead. Only on…a temporary reprieve,” said Lily, reading Severus’s mind. “Now, come in. We have a lot to catch up on.”

Severus shifted Harry into a more comfortable position, though he kept his wand out. He wanted to trust this person who seemed to be Lily, but one never knew. The powers of evil had access to more power than he could imagine, and it would be insane to think otherwise.

“Sev, do you not trust me?”

“Lily…” he sighed. “I need to know if you’re really who I think you are.”

“So ask me a question, Sev.”

Severus was thrust into memory after memory. The first day they’d met, the day they were engaged, the day they were married. Finally, the answer came to him. “Lily, where did I propose to you?”

She met his eyes straight on. “By the lake, in Banff, in front of the mountains. Does that answer your question?”

Severus’s breath fell away. He had never told anyone, and as far as he knew, no one knew. But he had to be sure. “And what did I say, Lily?”

Her eyes softened. “That…that you’d be my forever Prince, if I wanted you. And if I could accept all your brokenness, all your faults. And…I said yes. Yes to my one and only love, yes to the man of my life.”

His eyes glistened with tears, as he recalled that day.  How wonderful the rest of his life had seemed at that point! “Yes,” he whispered. “I believe you.”

Lily ran into his arms, and the three of them huddled there for a while. Harry awoke then, and laughed. The little sound broke them apart, and Severus let Harry down.

“Hi, Mum,” said little Harry cheekily. “Look, Dada!”

Severus froze. What was Lily going to say?

“Yes, indeed, ‘Dada’,” said Lily, smiling. “Has he been taking good care of you?”

“Yea, yea, Mum,” cried Harry excitedly. “Wif ice cweam an’ hug an’ los of stuff!”

“I hope you’re not eating too many sweets, love,” said Lily, then she turned to Severus. “My goodness, Sev, are you spoiling the child?”

“Well…” fudged Severus. “After what your sister did, I thought I should make up for lost time.”

“My sister, should burn in hell,” said Lily ferociously. “What in Merlin’s name was that old coot thinking?!?”

“That ‘old coot’, Lily, is my father,” said Severus.

“Whoops, forgot about that for a second,” said Lily. “Come, why don’t we sit here?”

A bench magically appeared, and Severus was awe-struck. What was this place? Lily, sensing this, spoke. “I suppose you could say it’s heaven, but not quite, really. It’s more like the place people go to when they speak with the ones still on Earth.”

“It’s amazing,” said Severus. “And heaven’s supposed to be even better?”

“Well, yes, but we’re not allowed to give that away. Something about seeing it for yourself, I think,” said Lily. “Now, you listen to me, Severus. Don’t you dare give Harry to that mutt.”

“He’s the godfather! I have no right to keep Harry, under the law,” said Severus. “And besides, I’m sure the mutt will do a better job – ”

“Don’t you dare say that, Severus Tobias Snape!” shouted Lily. Harry looked up in surprise, but seeing that both his parents were all right, continued to play in the sandbox that had appeared with the bench. “You are a fine father. Besides, all will be resolved tomorrow.”

“What do you mean?” asked Severus. Lily put her finger to his lips. “Shhh, Severus, no more questions. Let me tell you what to do at the bank, and then we can enjoy the rest of the day.”

“All right,” said Severus. “If you insist.”

“Of course I insist, you great big oaf,” said Lily, in a teasing tone.

“An oaf, me? Are you sure you have the right person, Lily?” Severus asked in mock indignation.

“Shh, love, listen. Remember when you saw me last? At the Marauder’s hideout?”

“That was truly you? I thought I was hallucinating,” said Severus thoughtfully. “But yes, I did.”

“I slipped something into your pocket, Severus. Look. You should be able to recognize it,” said Lily. Severus dug around in his various pockets, coming up with various Portkeys, empty potion vials, a few of Harry’s toys (to his utter embarrassment), and finally, Lily’s wedding ring.

“This?” asked Severus, his voice cracking. “What does this mean, Lily?”

“The ring I threw at you…was a duplicate. I could never have thrown the last of our bond away, so I kept it. I placed a Charm on it. Give it to Harry now,” said Lily. Severus called Harry over, and gave the ring to the boy, half-afraid Harry might swallow it. Instead, it melded into his skin, like the key had to him.  “Sirius also has a bracelet, and you will have to make the Charms react in order to open my bank vault. I can’t remember the exact order, but I’m sure you will be able to figure it out.”

“The mutt, Harry, and I will have to somehow make the Charms you’ve placed on these objects react, thus making the bank vault open,” repeated Severus. “Are you insane?!?”

“No,” laughed Lily. “Just…ingenious.”

“You’ll be the death of me, Lily Evans,” said Severus. “So…now that we’re finished with unpleasant business, what shall we do now?”

“You had something to tell me, did you not?” Lily raised her eyebrow, not unlike Severus did when he was pretending to be sceptical.

“I did,” said Severus softly. “I’m sorry…for what I did that night. I was wrong, and I regretted it. Will you forgive me?”

“Severus, how could I not?” asked Lily. “You were the love of my life. My everything, well, until Harry came along, that is. Now, Sev, forget about it. It was a long time ago, and it’s not worth brooding over. I suppose that’s why you always wear black now, isn’t it? You should start wearing other colours, Sev, before little Harry decides to imitate you.”

“He already does that,” said Severus dryly. “The other day, I caught him trying to make his robes billow like mine.”

Lily snorted, shaking with laughter. “Oh, hah, did he really?”

“Not funny, Lils,” said Severus, then paused. “Wait, why did you marry Potter then?”

“Well, I didn’t love him, I can tell you that. You’ll understand tomorrow. I’ve written it all down. Now, Sev…it’s almost time to go,” said Lily gently. “I need to go back, and so do you.”

Severus leaned over, and kissed Lily. He held onto her for dear life, hoping that this moment would never leave. Finally, they broke apart, when they could feel Harry staring. They blushed, and the little boy clambered onto the bench. “Cou’ me ge’ kissy too?”

The two adults burst out laughing, and kissed the little boy. Finally, it was time to go. Severus got up, taking Harry into his arms, ready to head into the doorway that had appeared out of nowhere.

“Wait, Severus,” said Lily, walking over to him. “Roll up your sleeve.” He started to roll up his right one, when she spoke again. “No, Sev, your left one.”

Severus burned in shame. “Do I have – ”

“Shush, love,” said Lily, concentrating. With a whispered incantation, the Dark Mark was gone from his arm. Then she did the same thing for Harry’s forehead, and the scar faded away, though it was still visible.

“What did you do, Lily?” asked Severus in disbelief.

“What I should have done a long time ago,” said Lily. “Now go, Sev, Harry. I will see you again.”

They walked through the door, turning back once to wave goodbye. And then, they were back in Severus’s quarters.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Sirius tore apart furniture, ripped up paper, and overall, made a right mess of his rooms. Remus stood there at the door, until his friend tired of wreaking havoc.

“Are you done yet, Padfoot?” asked Remus calmly. “Reparo.”

The torn curtains repaired themselves, papers knit back together, and the cupboards righted themselves. Sirius looked at him. “What have I done wrong?” he snarled. “Why would you take Snivellus’s side over mine?”

“There aren’t any sides anymore, Padfoot,” said Remus. “And his name is Severus.”

“You used to be fun, Moony,” said Sirius. “And who cares about the greasy git anyways? He was always a nobody.”

“No, Sirius,” said Remus. “But if you keep this up, you will be the nobody. Can’t you see? He’s all right now. And he’s far from greasy, too.”

“Yeah, take his side over mine. Some best friend you are,” said Sirius. “James would take my side, and you know it.”

“Enough, Sirius Orion Black!” shouted Remus, and Sirius blanched. He hated being called by his full name. “Grow up, already. Can’t you see how immature you’re being? And James would most definitely not take your side. In fact, he would have taken ours.” Remus softened. “I know Azkaban’s taken a toll on you, but listen to me, Padfoot. It’s in Harry’s best interests that you get along with Severus.”

“Why can’t I just take Harry? After all, I am his godfather,” said Sirius. “And he wouldn’t be under Snivellus’s influence.”

“Listen to yourself, Padfoot,” said Remus sadly. “It’s not just about you, Sirius. It’s for Harry. If you take him away from Severus, you’ll not only have the enmity of Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape…you’ll have Harry’s too. Harry is absolutely devoted to that man. What will happen if you take him away?”

“I don’t care,” came the sullen reply, but Sirius didn’t meet Remus’s eyes. Remus was relieved. He had finally gotten through to him. “Fine, I’ll let Harry stay with…Severus. But don’t expect me to like him.”

“I would never ask that of you, Padfoot. But Harry might.”

“No, he’ll change his opinion once I tell him who Severus is,” said Sirius. Remus sighed. Here he went again.

“Stop it, Padfoot,” said Remus firmly. “If you do, I’ll not only take your mouth off your face, but I’ll put it back on backwards and upside down.”

Sirius gasped in horror. The last time Remus had done that, Sirius couldn’t eat, drink, or talk. He quickly shook his head, and quieted. Remus spoke again. “Now go to sleep. We have to go to Gringotts tomorrow.”

“All right, Mooney. Good night,” said Sirius, making his way to the bed. Remus left, making sure to close the door tightly. He made his way next door to his quarters, where he proceeded to spend half the night in a Quidditch magazine. It was half past eleven when a knock sounded at his door.

“Yes?” called out Remus. Who could it be, this late at night?

“May I come in?” It was Dumbledore.

“Yes, please,” said Remus, opening the door. “What can I do for you?”

“Remus…how is Sirius?” asked Albus gently. “Did he understand?”

“I don’t know…Dad,” said Remus, using the affectionate term he had coined since he had lost his parents in his late teens. He seldom used it now, except here and there. “He seems to want attention, a lot, that’s all. I know he gets enough of it from us, but I think it’s because he was so starved of love way back when.”

“I know,” said Albus gravely. “We will have to be patient with him, for now. But Severus and Harry must come first…”

“Why don’t you go talk to Sirius? I’m sure he’s still awake. He always stays up late, especially when he’s upset,” suggested Remus. “It’s probably better to get it straight from him.”

“All right,” said Albus. “But don’t stay up too late. It’s not good for you.”

“I know, I know!”

Chuckling, Albus left the room, and walked down the corridor towards his wayward son’s. This talk was long overdue. Apologies had to be made, and reconnections to forge. It was going to be hard…and well he knew it. He knocked on the door. “Sirius?”

A snore could be heard inside, though the lights were still on. Albus walked into the room, looking at Sirius. Though the few years in Azkaban had taken a toll on him, Albus could still see the child in him. He smiled, and tucked the blankets snugly around him. How he remembered the days he used to visit his sons secretly at night, when they were fast asleep. Their sweet, innocent faces beaming at him, even while they slept, were a great source of joy to him. And now, they were all back together. Albus smiled, and snuffed out the lights. The talk could wait until tomorrow.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Back in the great Hall, Minerva was cupping a mug of hot chocolate in her hands. A Muggle beverage Albus had introduced to her, she had become addicted to it, drinking as many as four cups a winter day. Somehow, it just wasn’t the same during the summer. Her thoughts wandered back to Albus’s boys, and her boy. If they were married…

Pshaw, she thought. As if that would ever happen. Albus was always too busy, and marriage would just distract him. She sipped her hot chocolate, thinking all the while, and didn’t even look up when the doors of the Great Hall opened.

“Minerva, are you all right?”

She awoke with a jolt. “Albus?”

He chuckled. “Sorry I woke you, Minnie.”

“It’s okay, Al,” she replied. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

“Let me see…” Albus mockingly said. “Only every single day for the past decade.”

“Hmmm…” said Minerva thoughtfully. “And do you love me the same way?”

“Where are you going with this?” asked Albus, his eyes twinkling. “But yes, of course I do.”

“That’s all I wanted to know, Al,” said Minerva. “How were the boys?”

“Remus just went to bed, and Sirius was already in bed. Sometimes I wonder…what would they have been like if I hadn’t meddled?”

“You didn’t meddle, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. You took them in when no one else wanted them.”

“I suppose…”

“Suppose, nothing. It’s God’s own truth, and that’s that.” How Albus loved it when Minerva’s Scottish temper flared – over him, no less. He leaned over and kissed her.

When they straightened, Albus asked the question that had been bothering him for the past two days. “Minnie…tell me about Lucius.”

Minnie’s gaze fell away, her heart plummeting. The very question she had hoped to avoid! “Do you really have to know, Albus?”

“Yes, Minerva,” said Albus. “But if you don’t feel comfortable…”

“No, I might as well get it over with,” said Minerva, shivering. Quickly, Albus wrapped a blanket around her. “Lucius…he was born Luke Alastair Malfoy on January 25, 1954. I remember that day so well. He had a little tiny wisp of blonde hair, and his eyes! The prettiest shade of green you could imagine. Abraxas, naturally, was happy. But…by then, he was already sucked far into his parents’ wishes, and was engaged to be married the following year, to one of the Lestrange girls.”

Albus started. “Why so late? By then, you must have been well into your twenties.”

“Yes,” replied Minerva, with a short, sarcastic laugh. “But Abraxas…he was stubborn. He wanted me, and I wanted him. His parents didn’t approve, of course. The McGonagall family is nowhere as prestigious as the Malfoys’, nor were we pureblood supremacists. And so…Abraxas refused every girl his parents brought in. By the time I had Lucius, the only girl left in our age group was me. So his parents brought in some of the younger ones…Abraxas didn’t want any of them. It wasn’t until they threatened to cut him from the family fortune that he finally succumbed.

Lucius doesn’t know I’m his mother. We Obliviated everyone involved, and Abraxas married Alessa Lestrange. He grew up thinking she was his mother. After that, we dared not to contact each other, for fear of his parents. And then I came here to work.”

“Where you fell in love with me,” stated Albus, with a smile. “You know…the instant I lay eyes on you, a full grown woman…I fell head over heels. I even took a small de-aging potion so I’d be closer to your age.”

“Yes, I know,” said Minerva. “You told me when you were drunk one night.”

“Did I really?” asked Albus. “Min, what are you going to do about Lucius? You should tell him.”

“And do what? Tear his life further apart? No, we have to wait until I get my grandson back,” said Minerva. Albus laughed. She had laid claim on them already.

“What on earth are you laughing about? Nothing I said was remotely funny!”

That made Albus laugh even harder.  

“Dada! Dada!” Ge’ up! Ge’up!” A tiny body bounced on Severus. “Dada! Time t’ go! Aun’ Minnie say she goin’ t’ come in iffen you don’!

For a little child who barely spoke three weeks ago, this was remarkable progress. Of course, it was all lost on Severus, who was quite unhappy to be awoken at seven in the morning by a bouncing imp. He groaned. “Let me sleep in a bit, Harry.”

“No, Dada…” then Severus felt water poured on him, and heard little Harry’s giggles. “Harry!”

Harry covered his mouth, in an attempt to soften his giggles. “No’ me, Dada, loo’!”

“Yes, Severus, look,” said Minerva dryly. “It’s time to go to Gringott’s, or have you forgotten?”

“Minerva!” He fell back on his pillow and groaned. “How in Merlin’s name did you get in here?”

“Harry let me in, of course,” she said. “Now, get up, or we’ll be late. Look, even the child is up. For shame, Severus.”

Harry bounced up and down on his bed. Well, it was definitely impossible to go to bed now. He sighed. “G’morning, you little imp. And what time did you wake up?”

“Umm…” Harry shrugged. “Te clock han’s were li’ this.”

He gestured one long line. “You see, Dada?”

“Mmm…”

“Dada, wake up!” said Harry in frustration. “Or I pinch your nose!”

“You little –” roared Severus. “Don’t you dare!”

Severus grabbed Harry and tossed him into the air. Harry giggled. “Wha-ha! Dada, pu’ me down!” Severus obliged, and held Harry tightly against him. They sat like that for a while. Then he pulled Harry up to his eye level, and asked, “Now, what time did you wake up?”

Harry gestured again. “Merlin, Harry, six? Why would you wake up at six?”

“’Cause today is import-ant day,” said Harry, puffing out his chest. “Tha’s wha’ Aun’ Minnie say.”

“Well, someone will need a nap today,” said Severus teasingly. “C’mon imp, let’s go get dressed.”

“No nee’ nap,” said Harry. “Dada, can I choose my own clo’es?

“Hmmm…we’ll see,” said Severus. “All right, why don’t you put the clothes you want on your bed while I go dress myself?”

“O-Kay!” said Harry exuberantly, dragging Twiggy behind him. “Now, Twiggy, I wan’ gree, and blue and o-range…”

Severus gave a little laugh as he went to get prepared. It seemed he would be the one dressing Harry in the end. Blue, green, and orange? Perhaps Harry was following in the Headmaster’s footsteps. God forbid! Severus shuddered. No, Harry would be dressed appropriately – even if it killed Severus trying. Speaking of clothes, he wondered what he should wear. After all, Lily had told him to re-arrange his wardrobe. But he liked black! He grumbled to himself something about over-demanding ghosts, and then sighed. In the end, he chose a dark green shirt, navy jeans, and his usual black robes. Some things had to be the same, right?

He quickly brushed his teeth, ordered breakfast for Harry (he couldn’t stomach anything at the moment, having recalled why they were going out this morning), and finally returned to Harry’s room. He knocked. “Harry?”

Harry opened the door. “Hi, Dada! Loo’, me brush hair and brush teef!”

“Very good, Harry,” praised Severus. “Now let’s see what you’ve picked out for today.”

Severus tried very hard not to laugh. No, this would not do at all. Harry had somehow turned his blue jeans orange and his green dragon shirt purple. “Harry, do you really want to wear that?”

“Yeah, Dada!” said Harry excitedly. “”Cause purple is the best-est colour eva! And orange ju-ju is my fav’rite.”

Harry beamed up at Severus, and Severus smiled weakly back. “Why don’t you wear blue jeans today, Harry? You can wear the purple shirt, but I think orange really clashes with purple.”

“What cla-shes?” Harry furrowed his brow. “An’ I like orange. Why can’ I wear orange?”

“It means they don’t look good together,” said Severus. Not that he’d ever let Harry wear orange trousers ever. “Come, Harry, let’s get you dressed. You still need to eat breakfast.”

“Fine, Dada,” said Harry happily. “I wear my black robe?”

Startled, Severus looked at him, and lapsed into his old speech. “That would be…acceptable, Harry. But why black?”

“”Cause I want to match Dada today,” said Harry. “Dada, help me wif my jeans!”

Severus was close to melting then and there. So Harry did really look up to him. “All right, you little imp,” he said gruffly. Finally, he managed to wrestle Harry into his clothes, and made him look presentable. Though Merlin knew what kind of mess he’d make at breakfast.

Fortunately for Severus, Harry was extremely well-behaved that morning. Severus was content staring at little Harry, and wondering what Lily had in store for them today. He absentmindedly rubbed his left forearm, and sighed.

“Dada?”

“Yes, Harry?” Severus asked.

“How…how come,” he struggled with the words. “How come you not eat brea’fas?”

“I already ate, Harry,” lied Severus smoothly. “Now, hurry, Harry. We have to leave as soon as Minerva – your Aunt Minnie – comes back to pick us up.”

Harry scowled. He knew his father hadn’t eaten, but he decided he wouldn’t make a fuss. No, he would tell Uncle Albus. He giggled.

“What’s so funny, Harry?” asked Severus sharply. There was something decidedly odd with Harry’s reaction…unless someone was planning on playing a trick on him.

“No’fing, Dada,” said Harry innocently, his big green eyes widening. “I done!”

He jumped off his chair, and ran to the door. “You just wait a minute, you imp! You haven’t wiped your mouth yet!”

Harry moved his arm to wipe his mouth, when Severus grabbed him. “Harry James Potter! What have I told you about wiping your mouth on your sleeve?”

“I not supposed to,” said Harry contritely. “Sowwy, Dada. You hit me?”

“Hit you?” asked Severus in shock. “Why would I hit you? Harry, what have I told you before?”

“Tha’ you neva eva goin’ ta hur’ me,” said Harry, refusing to meet his gaze. “But I’m so ba’! I supposed to be hit when I’m ba’!”

“Harry…” Severus sighed. “Unless you do something really really bad, you will never, ever be hit. And even if I ever hit you, it will be a light tap on your bottom.”
“Really, Dada?” asked Harry, his head spinning to meet Severus’s gaze quickly. “Not like Un’le and Aun’ Pe’unia?”

“No, never like them,” promised Severus. “So far as there is breath in my body, I will never let anyone hurt you ever again, I promise you, Harry James –”

Harry squealed and buried his face in his father’s shirt. “I luf you Dada, foreva an’ eva an’ eva” Harry said seriously, then grinned cheekily. “Loo’! I don’ haf to wipe my mouth now!”

“Harry - !” said Severus in shock, and then groaned. “Now I need another shirt.”

“I will help you choo’,” said Harry. “Mebbe a purple shirt.”

Severus groaned. “I don’t even have a purple shirt, Harry.”

In the end, Harry turned his favourite black shirt purple, and no amount of coaxing or threatening could persuade Harry or the shirt to change. Fortunately for him, no one except Minerva commented, but that, in itself, was insulting. “That’s a good look on you, Severus. Matching your son now, eh?”

Severus didn’t comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------

They had arrived at Gringotts. Severus couldn’t help but feel nervous. Here was the moment they had been waiting for: Sirius would finally be cleared, and the secret Lily had kept from him would finally be revealed. Harry noticed, of course, but he thought his father was just cold. After all, his hands were freezing. Harry shivered.

“Are you all right, Harry?” Severus asked, concerned.

“Yeah, Dada,” said Harry, then pointed towards the goblins. “Who are they?”

“Those are goblins,” said Severus. “They’ll bring us to the vault.”

“Vaul’?” asked Harry curiously. “Wha’s tha’?”

“It’s where…things are stored, like money,” said Severus, careful to stay within the vocabulary range of the child. “Come, Harry.”

They – Sirius, Remus, Minerva, Albus, Severus, and Harry – walked up to the counter, where a lone goblin stood. “Sirs and Madam, how can Gringotts help you today?”

“Ah, yes,” coughed Severus. “We’d like to enter vault 728.”

“Do you have the key, sir?”

“Yes, here,” Severus thrust the key towards him. The goblin took it , and proceeded to inspect it.

“That seems to be in order, sir,” stated the goblin, and then indicated to a goblin standing beside the counter. “Griphook will take you to your vault.”

The nausea Severus felt from his nervousness was doubled on his ride down to the vault. Whoever invented this ridiculous system must have had nerves of steel. They were travelling at an insane speed, at impossible angles on a rickety cart. He doubted he could hold on to the contents of his stomach anymore – and he hadn’t eaten anything that morning! Beside him, Minerva was having the same problem, though not as severely. Sirius and Harry were enjoying it, whooping and screaming.

Soon, they had arrived. Severus reverently placed the key, and unlocked the vault. The door creaked open, and the group stepped in. There was nothing in the vault!

“Sirs, Madam, I will wait outside,” said the goblin. “You may peruse to your hearts content.”

Silence.

Then everyone started to talk all at once. Finally, Albus held up his hand. “Enough.”

When he had everyone’s attention, he spoke, “I don’t think Lily would do this to us. And as this is the correct vault,” he looked at Severus, his eyes twinkling. “There must be another door.”

------------------------------------------------------------

“Lucius!” Narcissa rushed into the hall, and Lucius had barely gathered his senses before he felt his wife fold on him.

“Cissa!” cried Lucius. “What’s wrong?”

“Th-they’ve sent another letter, Luc,” sobbed Narcissa. “They want Harry Potter tomorrow, o-or we’ll never see my baby boy ever again!”

“Hush, Cissa,” said Lucius, rubbing his hand up and down her back in an attempt to console her. “It’ll be all right, Cissa, it’ll be all right. Let me take care of it.”

“Oh, Luc, I’m so scared!”

“I know, baby, I am too,” said Lucius. “But we’ll get through this, I know. Trust me, Cissa?”

“Yes, Lucius, with all my heart,” breathed Narcissa. “But I’m so scared.”

They stood in the hall for a while, until Narcissa finally fell asleep in his arms. He carried her into their bedroom, and gently placed her on the bed. He took off her slippers carefully, and tucked her in. He lightly kissed her forehead, and then left the room, closing the door silently.

He couldn’t be strong anymore. It just wasn’t possible. What he had said to her earlier…it was impossible. Even now he didn’t know where the bastards had taken his child. He ran into the room his father’s portrait was.

“Father,” said Lucius respectfully.

“I was wondering when you would come in,” said Abraxas. “Narcissa placed the letter on the table over there, and then ran off in panic. I take it the news isn’t good?”

“They want the Boy-Who-Lived tomorrow,” whispered Lucius, slowly sinking to his knees. “Tell me what to do, Father!”

“I can’t, my boy,” said Abraxas gravely. “You will have to decide that on your own.”

“I-I can’t take the Boy-Who-Lived,” said Lucius haltingly. “But if I don’t, I’ll never get my own son back. What do I do?”

Lucius was almost hysterical at this point. Tears were pouring down his cheeks, and he made no effort to stop them. Huge sobs wracked his body. Why his boy? Why Draco? Merlin knew how hard it was to have a child in the first place, Narcissa being so fragile. It was a miracle when Draco had come into the world. And now…it was evident that he was to be taken away.

Suddenly, the window opened, and in flew an owl. A Hogwarts owl. Fumbling, he took the missive. It was from the Headmaster.

My dear Lucius,

Through extensive spellwork, we have determined your son’s precise location.

Lucius’s heart almost stopped. Maybe there was hope. He continued reading, this time in earnest.

I have taken the liberty of asking Madam Bones (head of the MLE) in assisting us in this. I hope you do not mind?

Mind? He wanted to kiss the old man.

In any event, please floo to my office tomorrow evening. We will discuss further then.

This time, when the tears came, they were tears of relief.

“My boy, was it good news?” asked Abraxas.

“Yes. They have found where Draco is,” said Lucius. “I will be flooing to Hogwarts later today to discuss logistics.”

“Good, good,” said Abraxas. “Ah, will you be seeing Minerva tonight?”

“I think so, Father, why?” asked Lucius.

“Tell her,” said Abraxas, and his eyes took on a dreamy quality – or so Lucius thought, since portraits clearly could not change. “Tell her…it is time.”  

----------------------------------------------------------

They had searched the dumb vault from top to bottom. Just as they were ready to give up, little Harry dragged Sirius up to Severus.

“Loo’, Dada!” cried Harry excitedly. “It’s Un’le Pa’foo’!”

“Yes, I know, Harry,” said Severus. “Now, don’t distract me now…we need to find something.”

“You supposed to shake hands when you mee’ someone,” said Harry stubbornly.

“Not now, Harry,” said Severus.

“Look, Harry, Sniv- Severus is kinda busy,” said Sirius. “Why don’t we come back later?”

Clearly, he wasn’t too comfortable in shaking Severus’s hand either.

“No!” said Harry. “Now!”

He grabbed Severus’s hand, and in the next instant, all three hands collided. Suddenly, there was a flash of white light, blinding everyone.

“What in Merlin’s name?” cried Severus. He received no answer, just a chuckle – from Albus, most likely.

When they all came to, They stood facing a door – in the middle of the vault. When Severus looked behind it, there was nothing there. It was just a door and its frame, standing almost nakedly. Suddenly, remembering Lily’s statement - you will have to make the Charms react in order to open my bank vault – and all became clear. Quickly, he grabbed Sirius and Harry’s hands, ignoring the cry from Sirius. Together as one, they turned the knob of the door.

When the door opened, there was an audible exhalation of breath. Inside the vault were a Pensieve and a locked box on top a table, as well as a sofa similar to one Albus and Remus had seen before. Also on the table were two sets of memories clearly labelled – Sirius and Severus.

Albus quickly pressed the secret button, and out popped a letter. Severus took the sheet of paper almost reverently, and read it out loud.

My dear friends,

I congratulate you on your access to this vault. It must have been extremely hard, as I know Severus and Sirius would never have willingly cooperated. I must congratulate you, and one day, when you reach heaven, you must tell me how you did it. Or maybe I’ll already know…who knows?

In this vault contains the memories of James and me asking Peter to be our Secret Keeper. The note of validation for the memories is signed by Alastor Moody, who has since been Obliviated. Once you present this to him, he will remember everything. Just a light precaution.

In Severus’s set of memories, well, I must ask that you be prepared. You all bear witness to this, and I ask that you be lenient and understanding. Especially you, Remus and Sirius. Sev, it’s up to you to decide whether or not you would like to view the memories with all those present. I believe it’s best to, but ultimately, it is your decision. As well, the key to the box is the same as the one to the outside vault. The documents can be found here.

At the time I am writing this, it is a week before Halloween. I know in a week I will forever leave this earth… and in a way, I am quite sad (after all, I’ve barely lived), but I know that you will care for my dear Harry. I am content with my life, and all the blessings God has chosen to shower me with, including all of you. I love you all.

“James, are you sure?” asked Lily anxiously. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Relax, Lily. Peter’s one of the Marauders,” said James, in a laid-back way. “We can trust him.”

“Still…” said Lily. “I’d be much more comfortable if Dumbledore was the Secret Keeper.”

“We can’t rely on him for everything, Lils!” said James. “Just relax.”

“Oi!” cried a voice. “Hello the house!”

“See?” said James. “Peter’s reliable. He’s even on time…unlike what could be said about Padfoot.”

“Very funny,” said Lily dryly. “Fine, let’s get this over with.”

“Peter Pettigrew,” said James solemnly. “Do you pledge to keep this place secret and out of harm, to hide the knowledge of this place but for Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, and Remus Lupin?”

“I do,” came the slightly shaky reply. “I pledge this with all my heart, soul, and mind. If I break this pledge, so help me God.”

Lily placed the charm on the two men’s clasped arms. “Done!”

All four of them exited, all shaky and wobbly. “Well, I can’t say I didn’t expect that,” said Sirius. “But how did that bastard break the Fidelius Charm? It should have been impossible!”

“Language, Mr. Black!” said Minerva disapprovingly. “We are in the presence of a small child right now.”

“Oops, sorry. Harry, don’t say that, okay?” said Sirius, for all intents and purposes looking like a small child himself. “But seriously. How?”

Albus answered him quietly. “Because he had already given his heart, soul, and mind to Voldemort. When he took that pledge…Voldemort was informed. No, more accurately, Voldemort was the one who took the pledge. Thus…the Fidelius Charm wasn’t actually broken.”

“The sick bastard!” cried Sirius, horrified. “I’m going to kill him!”

“We can all agree on that,” said Severus. “Now…I believe we have another set of memories to view.”

“Err, do we have to?” asked Sirius. “I still feel a bit sick to my stomach.”

“Lily requested that you do,” said Remus. “I’m sure you’ll want to know, don’t you?”

“Well…”

“You don’t have to, Black,” sneered Severus. “After all, you shouldn’t be privy to sensitive information…as we can clearly see.”

“You take that back!” shouted Sirius, then calmed. “Fine, I will. And I’ll use it to blackmail you. After all, what did Lily have to do with you?”

“Everything, Black,” said Severus as he poured the memory into the now-empty Pensieve. “everything.”

All six of them plunged into the Pensieve. It was a series of memories connected together, and Severus was forced to relive the two years before Harry was born.

The door slammed shut. Lily had tears streaming down her face. How could Severus have done this to her? Sobbing, she gathered her things, and ran down to the end of the street, where James was waiting for her.

“Oh, Lily,” he said quietly. “I’m so sorry.”

Lily let him envelop her into his arms. While he wasn’t Severus, James was, in his own way, comforting. “James…take me away.”

“All right, Lily.”

The memory changed, and the six of them quickly found themselves in James’s house.

There was a knock at the door. James ran down the stairs, and opened it, expecting either Sirius or Remus. Instead, he found Lily. His heart beat. It was like the first day of school all over again, when he had first fallen for her. But…she looked upset. It was a bit too soon to move on, for sure, but he had thought she had, seeing as she had been much happier the last few weeks.

“James…”

“Lily, come in,” he leapt on to the step, and guided Lily in. “I’ll bring in a spot of tea and biscuits. You just sit down for now.”
He left her on a couch, and was soon back with the food. Gently setting it on the coffee table, he settled on to a nearby chair, and asked, “Lily, what’s wrong?”

“James…I’m…” she choked back a sob. “I’m pregnant.”

James was sure he would have dropped the tray if he had been hodling it. As it was, all he could do was slump back into his chair. “Is it…Severus’s?”

She nodded.

All hell broke loose. Severus almost fainted. He was Harry’s father? But that made no sense! They had divorced two years before Harry was born! He weakly protested, “But that’s impossible!”

Sirius looked at him. “Oh my dear God…”

Remus was shell-shocked. Albus and Minerva were smiling, but in Minerva’s case, she was giving off the impression that she was doing so to stave off the shock. Harry just looked at Severus. “I tol’ you you were my Dada.”

They all turned back to view the memory.

“I can’t let Severus know,” said Lily. “He’ll harm the child. Or even if he didn’t, he’d be in so much danger.”

James nodded gravely. “When is the baby due?”

“Sometime next November,” came the reply. “But…they’ll know the baby is his! I haven’t been with anyone else since…that day.”

“Lily, can you cast a Charm on the child?” asked James, his brain quickly moving. “To prolong the pregnancy? Or hold the child in stasis?”

“But if I have the baby in either this year or the coming one…he’ll still know,” said Lily. “He found the stasis spell, you know.”

“But what if we made improvements on it?” asked James. “The normal ones run for only six months to a year. What if you made it two years?”

Lily began to see his train of thought. “But then…who would I pretend to have it with? No one wants Severus Snape’s ex-wife.”

“You’re wrong,” said James softly. “I want you. And I’ll do this, if this is the only way I can protect you and your child.”
“Are you sure, James?” asked Lily. “You want to give up your entire life…for me?”

“Yes, Lily,” said James. “I would do anything for you.”

“So that’s how she did it,” murmured Severus. “Ingenious!”

“We already knew that,” said Sirius dryly. “Look who’s been leading us on a merry chase.”

Severus snorted, as the memory shifted again, this time to Harry’s birth.

“C’mon, Lily,” encouraged James. “You can do it!”

“Do you know how painful this is?” asked Lily, her face contorted in pain.

“C’mon, push, Lily!”

“I’m trying, dammit!”

Finally, the baby was out. True to form, he looked nothing like James, and everything like Severus, except the nose and the eyes, thankfully. The nurse and the doctor left, giving them space and room for celebration.

“He’s beautiful, Lils,” said James. “Look, he’s got your eyes and your nose.”

“We’ll need to apply the charm now, James,” said Lily. “I don’t think I can do it alone.”

Together, they casted a series of complicated spells, and one by one, the features of Severus Snape were changed into that of James Potter’s. When they were done, they invited Sirius and Remus in. They were named Harry’s godfathers. Soon, they were ushered out, Lily feigning tiredness.

The nurse came back into the room, carrying the birth certificate. “So what’s the baby’s name?”

“Aerick James Severus Snape,” said Lily said quietly. The nurse looked at her confused, but James quickly intervened, taking the birth certificate and the other forms, and then Obliviated her.

“Oh, silly me, I forgot the birth certificate,” said the nurse. “Let me get one.”

“So what’s the baby’s name?” asked the nurse.

“Harry James Potter,” said James.

“My, what a strong name,” said the nurse. “Well, congratulations on the addition to your family.”

“Thanks,” said the two of them.

All of them removed themselves from the Pensieve.

“Aerick, huh?” asked Remus, then continued thoughtfully. “Aerick James Severus Snape…”

“Well, you’re still my godson no matter what,” said Sirius. “If you’ll let me, Severus?”

Severus nodded. “I would never deny you that, Black.”

“My, what fine boys I have,” Albus chuckled. “Severus, I’m sure you’ll know what you’re going to find in that box.”

“The birth certificate and the other forms,” said Severus. “But…is it right for me to take away James’s legacy?”

“Well, at least Harry won’t be recognized,” said Minerva thoughtfully. “That’s why you placed him at the Dursleys’ in the first place. Now, he can go out as himself. Though there’s a question of those charms…”

“We’ll fix them when we get back,” said Severus confidently. Then he knelt down until he was at eye-level with his son. “Harry…would you like to be Harry or Aerick?”

Harry’s eyes grew wide. Inside, he knew what his father was asking him: whether he wanted to be truly his father’s…or not. “Dada…I wanna be Aerick. Bu’ Harry can be my nicknom.”

He gazed around in confusion. “Nockname?”

“Nickname,” prompted Severus, who was about to cry, out of happiness, of course.

“Yeah, tha’,” said Harry. “I wan’ ta be yours foreva an’ eva an’ eva.”

“You are mine, Aerick James Severus,” said Severus firmly. “I’ll never let you go, no matter what.”

Needless to say, there were more than one set of wet eyes in the vault by the time Severus had finished.

But Lily had one more surprise for them. As Harry passed through the inner vault doors, his features began to change. And not painfully either. It was as if the Charm was a mask, and his true features were now showing. All five adults watched in awe as Lily’s magic manifested for the last time – for now anyways. By the time all of them had left the building, they were all different. Most changes were on the inside, but Harry’s was on the outside, and he wore it like a badge of honour. Finally, he had his own family again. Severus…well, he was a changed man inside and out. If anyone had seen him that day, they would have wondered if that was truly Severus Snape. He was smiling a smile of pure delight, the first Albus had seen in many, many years. And if Harry had anything to do with it, well, they’d be seeing it more often than not. He had a very good feeling about it.

Albus linked arms with Minerva, and together they walked behind their boys. What a wonderful day this had been.

Or not so wonderful, according to Minerva. It was just one of those strange coincidences, but she felt rather overwhelmed on this particular day. First, the confirmation of Sirius Black's innocence (she knew it all along, but it felt odd to be justified in her opinion after so much dissent), Severus and Harry's relationship, and then, to top it off Lucius Malfoy waiting for the two of them outside Albus's office. Normally, that would have been all right, but really, she rather thought it was an appropriate response when she almost fainted - Lucius had told her that Abraxas had asked him to relay the message that it was time. Of course she knew what that meant. 

She shuddered. It was rather unfortunate timing, or an act of Fate - to reveal parentage of two people (who were both important to her, by the way) on the same day? Finally, she responded quietly, "Thank you, Lucius." 

Lucius, of course, had felt out of sorts. After all, he had made one of his Professors almost collapse. He felt guilty, but he didn't know what about. "Err...you're welcome." 

He turned to Albus. "Headmaster, you have news?" 

"Oh, yes, my dear boy," said Albus, his eyes twinkling. "But we should wait for the arrival of Madam Bones and the Minister first." 

Dear boy? Since when had he been called that? Granted, he had never really talked to the Headmaster. But not even his father called him that! Blushing, he answered quickly, "Of course." 

Albus ignored the glare Minerva sent at him. He really couldn't help it. "They will also be bringing several Aurors, as I presume you would like to get your son as quickly as possible?" 

"Yes, thank you, Headmaster," Lucius said gratefully, then tried to make small talk. "I was just wondering, Professor McGonagall -" 

At that precise moment, the Floo roared to life, and out stepped the party the three of them had waited for. Albus coughed. "Ah, you were saying, Lucius?" 

"Oh, never mind," he replied, much to the relief of Minerva. Had Severus been there, he would have commented on Gryffindors' ability to wear their hearts on their sleeves. Fortunately, Lucius was too consumed with the fate of his son to notice. 

"Now that everyone is here," said Albus. "We may begin -" 

A cough in the doorway interrupted him. Albus raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Severus?" 

"I would like to assist as well," Severus said determinedly. "After all, Draco is my godson." 

"H-How did you know?" stammered Lucius. "Only the people here were supposed to know..." 

"Lucius," said Severus, raising his eyebrow. "I was the one they asked to determine Draco's location. After all, he and I are linked - the amulet I gave him for his last birthday? I was able to trace that signal." 

"Severus, you should be spending time with your s-, err, Harry," said Albus. "There's no need to do this." 

"No, Headmaster," he nodded, indicating his respect for the elder wizard. "Harry is safe with his godfathers. I have a personal interest in the matter." 

"If he wants to, let him, Albus!" said Minerva vehemently. "We need all the help we can get, and you know Severus is an expert dueller." 

"Well, with all this opposition," replied Albus with a chuckle, "It's hard not to say ‘yes'." 

Meanwhile Madam Bones, the Minister of Magic, and the Aurors looked at them in shock, and they all wanted to ask questions. Unfortunately for them, Albus took up his spiel as soon as Severus had sat down. "Draco is in Monte Carlo, Monaco." 

Lucius paled. "But we have no jurisdiction there! We don't even have an embassy there! The government there is almost non-existent!" 

"Lucius." Minerva placed her hand over his. "Let Albus explain first." 

She continued to hold his hand as Albus talked. "Madam Bagnold has already spoken with the Minister of Magic Pierre Levesque has already acquiesced, and is allowing us entry, as apparently they have been dealing with the same problem these last few years. I have also acquired several International Portkeys, so we can leave as soon as we are finished briefing. Alastor, what can you tell us about these men?" 

Auror Moody coughed, and his magical eye surveyed all those present. "Yaxley and Dolohov are the main conspirators. However, they do have several underlings, as we saw earlier." He nodded towards Severus. "Most of them are Death Eaters, and we are glad Severus is here with his expertise. We know that Parkinson joined them, as well as Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, Avery, Rowle, the Carrows, and Mulciber. This will make things easier, as we have been looking for them for a long time. They are currently staying at a Muggle resort, so it is imperative that we dress appropriately." 

Kingsley tugged at Moody's sleeve. "Sir, may I add something?" 

"You may," said Moody. "Be quick about it. We don't have time to spare." 

"Courtesy of Professor Snape, we will also be taking Polyjuice, to disguise our appearances," said Kingsley. "Madam Bones and Madam Minister will be staying behind, of course, to monitor our progress. Kingsley and I will be leading the operation, as we are both familiar with Monaco ever since - " 

A quick nudge on Moody's part quickly silenced him. "Er-hem," Moody blushed. "Are we ready to go?" 

Albus smiled. "Just like you to go partying, old friend?" 

"As if," came the reply. "Kingsley, pass out the potion."

 They all quickly transformed and Transfigured their clothes. Soon, all of them were ready. "Be sure to keep in contact, Alastor," chided Madam Bones. "Don't forget - "

She was cut off when the group was abruptly Portkeyed out. "I hate it when she nags," said Moody grumpily. "Now, the plan is to lure them all out - on second thought, we'll just wait until nightfall. That way, we can just grab them out of their rooms." 

"What about Draco?" asked Lucius and Minerva at the same time, showing identical looks of horror. Minerva turned a bright shade of red, and looked away, glaring at Albus all the while, who was chuckling.

"Minerva, you and I are responsible for Draco," said Albus. "As I am sure, Lucius, you and Severus will want to ensure the capture of these heinous criminals." 

"Damn right I do," mumbled Severus. "After what they did to Harry..." 

"Sorry, I didn't catch that," said Kingsley. "What did you say?" 

Severus looked up and glared. "Nothing." 

Kingsley visibly retracted. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to pry." 

Severus nodded, then walked off with Lucius, Moody, and several other Aurors to discuss their strategy. 

"I guess I'm with you then," said Kingsley ruefully. "But what's got him in such a tit?" 

"He's very eager for revenge," said Albus dryly. "Now, Kingsley, why don't you go with Moody? Minerva and I will be fine." 

"Are you sure?" asked Kingsley. "Okay, then, our rendezvous point will be here then. We should meet back every hour just in case." 

"Very good thinking," praised Albus. 

"If only you had paid this much attention in Transfiguration, young man," added Minerva. 

Kingsley had the good graces to blush. "Well, I'm off then. See you in an hour." 

As soon as he was out of sight, Albus turned to Minerva. "Remember that one conference they had here, Minnie?" 

"Oh, yes, Albus," she said. "How could I forget? You taught me how to swim here." 

"Yes, indeed..." said Albus, then continued almost wistfully. "It's been such a long time since we've had peace, hasn't it, Minerva? When we have time again...would you like to come back?" 

"We'll see," said Minerva. "Right now, we should be focused on finding Draco, Albus. As much as I love you, I'd very much like to see ou- my grandson intact." 

Albus smiled. So she had claimed him too, had she? "Well, that shouldn't be hard. After all, we have the magical signature of the amulet." 

He gazed down at the pseudo-map. "According to this, he should be located...right here." 

"But that's not right, Albus," whispered Minerva. "He shouldn't have auburn hair. Near as I can remember, both Lucius and Narcissa have blond hair. Oh!" 

Shocked, her hand flew up to her mouth. She fingered her own dark hair. "Abraxas must have put a charm on Lucius's hair. Shame...I thought Lucius had inherited his father's hair too." 

"Your hair is beautiful," said Albus. "Besides, Narcissa is the only blonde in her family. So that could explain it as well. Though I'm sure the picture of Draco I saw...I'm sure he had blond hair." 

He frowned. "Well, I'm sure this is the child." 

"He is," said Minerva. "I can see bits of my father, Abraxas, and Cygnus in him." 

"Just them?" Albus's eyebrow went up, and his eyes twinkled at her. "Oh, and Druella, Narcissa, and Lucius, I suppose." 

"Are you sure he doesn't resemble anyone else?" His eyes twinkled rapidly. 

"Not at all," replied Minerva. "Do you really think -?" 

"What do you think?" He gently wrapped his arm around her waist. "I see parts of you in him, even if you don't." 

She kissed him lightly. "Well, we can take a closer look when we get him back. Look, that man over there? See?" 

"The man on the chair sleeping?" 

"He's only pretending to be sleeping, Albus. Look. They keep opening and shutting, and he's watching Draco," said Minerva. "We can't use magic here, Albus! And my wandless magic -"

"Say no more, Minnie." Albus performed a wandless, unspoken sleeping spell on the man - from a distance. "Now, what say you to an introduction to your grandson?" 

"Will he want me, Albus?" she asked worriedly.

"Let's not worry about things that haven't happened yet," said Albus gently. "Come, let's introduce ourselves to the child. Perhaps he will be like Harry? In that case, I have plenty of candy in my pockets." 

"Oh, you," said Minerva, and she gently swatted him. "All right, here goes nothing." 

---------------------------------------------------------

"I'm telling you if we do that they'll escape!" huffed Kingsley in frustration for the fifteenth time. Everyone, of course, had ignored him. Fortunately for him, someone finally turned to him. 

"What's wrong with waiting outside their room?" asked one of the rookie Aurors. "They don't have anywhere they can escape to, can they?" 

Severus looked at him, and silently agreed. When it was clear Kingsley was too flustered to speak properly, he spoke coolly. "And pray tell me, are we dealing with Muggles?" 

The rookie blushed. "Err, no sir." 

"Excellent deduction, Mr.-?" inquired Severus, raising his eyebrow.

"Err, Scott," said the rookie, blushing even more profusely. "Neil Scott, sir." 

"Very well, Mr. Scott," said Severus, in full teacher mode now. "So, what would be an appropriate response then?" 

"Seal off the room magically?" ventured another rookie. They were all fully intimidated by him, though he was but several years their senior. Kingsley and Moody wanted to furiously shake them and ask them if they had truly graduated successfully from the Auror Academy. 

"Very good, Miss Young," said Severus. "And how exactly shall we go about it?" 

"Well, we have to make sure they're not in the room first," said Young. "Then we can place anti-Apparition wards up. We probably have to seal off the windows too." 

"Excellent," said Severus. Honestly, what dunderheads. He raised his eyebrows at the group. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go!" 

He turned to Kingsley and Moody. "Excellent group you have here, Shacklebolt, Moody." 

"They're not normally like that, Snape," said Kingsley. "Err...you just intimidated them." I hope. 

"If the fate of the Wizarding World rested on them, I would shudder," said Severus. 

"No, lad," said Moody, uncharacteristically warmly. "You are the future. These children...they'll learn. From the very best of the bunch." 

Severus shook. This was the man who had arrested him and thrown him into Azkaban. He stood in silence for a minute, while everyone looked at him. "Thank you, Moody, though I believe you are overconfident in your choice of a future." 

"Very likely," said Moody gruffly. "You, Kingsley, and Lucius. Merlin forbid!" 

He walked off, chuckling to himself. Kingsley turned to the other two, and asked, "Err, Snape, Malfoy, you think that's really Moody?" 

"I think he's been drinking again," said Severus, in a rare display of humour - in public. "Now, Kingsley, go supervise your group. Lucius and I will join you shortly after doing recon. I'd like to see who's here. Last time I checked, none of them were using Polyjuice, except for Yaxley, so it shouldn't be too hard to find their ugly faces."

"Very well," said Kingsley. "Enjoy yourselves. We'll meet you back at the meeting spot in fifteen minutes?" 

Severus nodded, and then turned to Lucius in alarm. "Lucius, are you all right?" 

He had grown very pale all of a sudden. "Yes, Severus," he waved him away. "I...I just hope this goes well." 

"You're not doubting us, are you?" asked Severus. "You have the support of the most powerful wizard of the century and you're afraid we'll fail?" 

"When you put it that way..." said Lucius, in a weak attempt at humour. He consulted his map, and looked at Severus, determined to forget about his earlier weakness. "Let's go. I think Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, and Avery will be at the casino. Parkinson, Rowle, the Carrows, and Mulciber will probably be at the beach. So where would you like to go first?" 

"Albus and Minerva should be on the beach, and I don't think they necessarily know those four are on the beach," said Severus. "Perhaps we should send them on a merry errand?" 

"Why can't we just subdue them?" He paused, as Severus lifted his eyebrow, as if to say, Are you really as stupid as those Aurors? "Oh. The Muggles." 

"Oh, indeed," said Severus. "We might also have to worry about Yaxley as well. We have no idea where he is. This wretched map can't tell the difference from real and Polyjuice." 

"Well, let's not worry for now," said Lucius. "After all, Yaxley is no match to either of us. And I'm sure the Headmaster and Minerva will already have Draco, by now, at the very least." 

Severus hadn't heard him. He was looking in horror at an ensuing scene on the beach. "Severus, what's wrong?" 

"We have to go now!" said Severus. He ran, and Lucius followed him. At last, he saw what had so terrified his son's godfather. The Carrows, Parkinson, Rowle, and Mulciber were casting hexes at a little boy and two elderly people. The Headmaster and Professor McGonagall, by the looks of it. But who was the child? 

Draco. He lost what semblance of cool he had. "You bastards! Stay away from my son!" 

He blasted them into the water, and ran ahead of Severus. Unfortunately, Yaxley woke up from his sleep, and saw that the Light had arrived. He had his wand out, drawn, until he realized he couldn't face three expert duellers. He had lost his chance at pleasing the Dark Lord. He turned to leave, only to be confronted by Severus. "Going somewhere, Yaxley?" 

Yaxley threw his head back and howled. Before Severus could stop him, he Apparated away.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, the Aurors had subdued Dolohov in his bedroom, having found him fast asleep. He had woken up in a panic, and started casting Unforgivables, or well, attempted to. He didn't realize the stick in his hand wasn't a wand, but was, in reality, every bit of a stick. 

Kingsley yelled, "Stupefy!", and then it was all over. They put him to sleep, resolving not to send anyone back. They needed all the manpower they had at the moment. But that left them in a quandary. If the others, coming back, didn't see Dolohov, would they suspect something? Fortunately, Kingsley had Polyjuice Potion, and he took on Dolohov's form. As for the prisoner, where would they put him? Fortunately, the Monacan Minister of Magic quickly relieved them of that problem, lending them several holding cells. 

When they met up with the others, they found that Lucius had already regained his son, and Severus, Minerva, and Albus had subdued Parkinson, Rowle, Mulciber, and the Carrows. Naturally, Albus had had no trouble casting a mass Obliviate, preventing any trouble. 

Of course, as Kingsley was acting as Dolohov, he stayed behind in the rooms, making sure that they wards were set correctly.  Unfortunately for him, he had no idea what Dolohov was like, having only read his file once, which didn't say anything - other than the fact that he was sensitive about his looks and was extremely stupid. How he had run an international child smuggling ring was beyond Kingsley, but that wasn't important right now. He had no idea what to say to the Death Eaters who had come in, nor did he have any means of communicating with the others. So he pretended to be asleep. 

They felt nothing, and they even tripped the wire that notified Moody of their arrival. Within minutes, they were surrounded in the room. 

"Anton!" said Goyle. "Wake up! Aurors are here!" 

They shook him violently, to no avail. It seemed almost too good to be true when they took it for granted that he was truly asleep. Dolohov must have done it on a regular basis. 

"You are surrounded," Moody's voice, amplified by Sonorus. "Surrender, and we will not hurt you."

"Yeah, send us to Azkaban," muttered Crabbe. Seeing no way out, they all attempted to Apparate, with no care for their "comrade" sleeping on the bed. However, with the anti-Apparition wards in place, they couldn't. They tried the windows, only to find they were charmed shut and unbreakable.

They panicked. Finally, in a desperate attempt to escape, they charged, attacking the Aurors. Their efforts were futile, to say in the least.  The ones in the front were caught by several well-placed Stupefy's on Severus, Moody, and the various Aurors' part; those at the back were stunned by Kingsley. It was over before it even started. 

They only had Yaxley to deal with now. There was no point in waiting for him, since he already knew they were there. So they felt they could make more progress, in terms of building a case against them. 

They sealed off the room, and searched for incriminating evidence. It was evident they weren't extremely bright; within minutes the safe in the room had been cracked and all sales - as well as purchasers and sellers - had been found, courtesy of a document specifying, well, everything, really. They hadn't even bothered to place a charm on it. It was either stupidity to the fullest, or arrogance. Severus didn't really care which; all he wanted to do was to retrieve the one with Harry on it, and make sure Albus got all his money back. However, it was harder than it looked, especially with all the Aurors crowded around. As well, he didn't want it publicized that they had Harry Potter; after all, there would definitely be mayhem. Albus, sensing this, walked over to Severus. 

"Severus," said Albus. "You should relax." 

"How?" asked Severus, almost to the breaking point. Patience was definitely not his strong point, when it came to emotional situations. "You know I need that file!"

"My dear boy," his eyes twinkling madly, "I already have the file."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me that earlier, you - you blasted old man!" stormed Severus. "You worked me into such a state for nothing!"

"Well, at least we know how you feel about Harry now," said Albus. 

"Was there any question?" asked Severus. "You know I love him. Isn't that enough?" 

"Yes," said Albus simply, and then walked away with Minerva. Severus glared at him for a moment, and then turned to Lucius. "Draco's asleep?" 

"Yes," said Lucius, patting gently the head of his child, who was currently slobbering all over his shoulder. "I almost didn't recognize him, you know. How can a father not recognize his own son? Am I bad father, Severus, to lose him and now...not even recognize my own son?"

"Lucius..."Severus was at a lack of words. He wasn't really suited in giving emotional comfort. But, on the other hand, his friend really needed him. "You're not a bad father. Look how far you came to get him back. Think back how afraid you were when you learned he was gone. And not afraid for yourself, but for your son. That...that's the mark of love, Lucius. Any father who loves his son and shows it...well, Lucius, that's the mark of a true father." 

He smiled wistfully. "If only my father had been like that..." 

He shook off that thought, and looked at Lucius. It seemed as if he wanted to ask something, but at that moment, Draco decided to wake up. "Father?" 

"I'm here, Dragon," said Lucius affectionately. "Look, it's Uncle Sev. What do you say?" 

"Hi Uncle Sev," said Draco dutifully, then turned to his father. "Why are you here?" 

Severus's heart almost tore in two. If only Harry had grown up with him...then he'd be like Draco - a wholesome child. It wasn't that he didn't love Harry; he just wanted better for him. Wouldn't any father?

"To rescue you, of course," said Lucius. "Did you ever doubt it?"

"Rescue me from what?" came the puzzled reply. "I was playing hide-and-seek with you, Father. Uncle Theo said we had to hide from you."

Lucius sputtered. "He said you had to hide from me? Why?" 

"A game, Father," said Draco innocently, his eyes gazing into his father's. "Since you don't play with me anymore..." 

Lucius choked, and looked at Severus pointedly. Draco didn't even notice, which was probably for the best, considering what he said next. "...but I'm glad, Father, you found me finally. I was starting to miss you." 

Then he wrapped his little arms around his father's neck, and shyly hung there. Lucius awkwardly pulled his son into a hug, and then kissed him. "Dragon...I missed you too."

-----------------------------------------------------------

When they got back to England, Harry was fast asleep, and so were his godfathers. Muttering to himself about bums taking advantage of his home, Severus went into Harry's room. He looked at him for a long time from the doorway, and marvelled at his and Lily's offspring - his son. Merlin! He had a son! Of course, even if Harry hadn't been his own, he would have kept him, and treasured him. Somehow though, it felt like he was meeting Harry all over again. Severus felt as if there was a magnetic pull pulling him towards the boy, both mentally and physically. He was sure this would pull him and Harry closer together. Reaching down, he brushed the hair out of his son's eyes. He tucked the covers around his son, and kissed him. Leaving, he was just about to close the door when he heard a little voice. "Dada?"

He smiled. "Yes, Harry?" 

"Where you go?" asked a little sleepy voice. "I miss you today." 

"I missed you too, Harry," said Severus, who, by now, had sat down on the bed and placed his arms around his son. "Were you good for your Uncle Padfoot and Moony?" 

"I alway good," said Harry cheekily, sleepily smiling up at him. "I fought...mebbe you no' wan' me no more af'er the bank." 

"Why would you think that?" asked Severus, a little puzzled. 

"Becau'e...you lef' me," said Harry matter-of-factly. "Bu', Dada?" 

"Yes, Harry?" 

"Iffen you didn' luf me, then- then you would no come bac to kiss me," Harry smiled. 

"Of course I love you," said Severus. "Even more because I know you're mine...mine forever." 

"An' eva an' eva an' eva," agreed Harry, who was almost asleep. Severus smiled. 

"Yes, indeed." 

Unnoticed by Severus, there were two shadows by the door, listening in on their conversation. "You see, Padfoot? Severus does love Harry."

"I know," said Sirius. "And I'm glad Harry has someone now. You know, I'm probably better off as the fun uncle, yeah? ‘Cause that disciplining stuff? I don't think I could do it." 

"Me too," said Remus, after a pause. "But I'm sure when you're a parent, you'll understand...and you'll learn." 

He peered into the room, smiling at the scene in front of him: Severus lying in the bed with Harry half-sleeping on him. "Come, we should go back into our own rooms. Let's leave those two alone for tonight." 

Sirius gently closed the door, and the two of them left Severus's quarters.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Lucius, Draco, Albus, and Minerva arrived safely in the Headmaster's office. Lucius looked at them a moment, as if wondering what to say. Finally, he settled with, "Thank you, Headmaster, Professor." He turned to leave, when Minerva cried out, "No, wait, Lucius...there's something I must tell you." 

He paused, and turned, only to see Minerva ashen and grey. "Are you all right, Professor?" 

"She'll be all right," said Albus. "Why don't you set Draco on the sofa over there, and come over her to talk?"

Something was very odd. He tentatively set Draco down, and followed Albus into an adjacent room where tea and biscuits were already waiting for them. Minerva had already seated herself. She sat on a comfortable chair, though had you not seen the chair, you would have thought that she was sitting on a hard, cold one. As it was, she was rigid and pale.

Lucius looked at her, and whispered to Albus. "Are you sure she's all right?" 

"Yes," said Albus. "But she has something very important to tell you, and the more you delay, the more nervous she will be." 

Lucius seated himself across from her, and Albus joined her side, gripping her hand. Minerva looked up at him. "Lucius...I have a confession to make." 

He sat at the edge of his seat. What in Merlin's name was she talking about? 

"Before I start, though, I need to know that you won't be overly angry with me." Minerva closed her eyes, as if in pain. 

"I owe you my son, Professor," said Lucius earnestly. "I can't possibly be that angry...not to someone who risked their life to reunite me with my son." 

"Very well," said Minerva, opening your eyes. "Lucius...there's really no other way of saying this." 

She began to laugh, almost hysterically. Albus gripped her hand, and wrapped his arm around her. She continued. "I'm...I'm your mother." 

"You're having me on, aren't you?" he asked, after his initial shock. "My mother was Alessa Malfoy, nee Lestrange. Y-you can't be my mother. We don't even look alike!" 

"It's true, you were born with blond hair," she said sadly. "But as you grew...it turned almost auburn, like your son's. Abraxas...charmed your hair blond so no one would have any suspicions." 

"So...all right, let's say you're right. Undo the charm then," he said confidently. "Show me I have auburn hair." 

Minerva clenched her eyes shut. "Ostendo sum plurimus specialis meus filius, Reveleo!" 

Lucius looked at his hair. It wasn't auburn, but it was no longer pale blond. No, he had deep brown hair. "Y-you're my mother?" 

"I'm afraid so," said Minerva. 

"But...why did you hide it from me?" asked Lucius, confused. "You didn't want me? So why all the subterfuge?" 

"I wanted you, believe me, Lucius," said Minerva. "I would have done anything to keep you. But...had my family known about you, they would have disinherited me, and your father's family to him as well."

She closed her eyes. "My family wasn't good enough for the Malfoys. Abraxas and I...we tried everything. He rejected almost all the eligible girls in our age group, and by the time I had you, I was the only one left. His family refused me, instead passing favour upon your mother -" 

"Step-mother," interrupted Lucius firmly. "But please, continue." 

Minerva relaxed. "Your father's family threatened to cut him off from the family fortune if he didn't marry her. So...we Obliviated everyone who knew, and she thought she had bore you herself. Abraxas renamed you Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, and that was the end of the matter." 

"Wait. Renamed?" asked Lucius. "What was the name I had before?" 

Minerva smiled. "Luke Alastair Malfoy. Alastair after my father, who died not long before your birth." 

Lucius put his head in his hands. "Is that why...Draco looks the way he does now?" 

"Yes," said Minerva. "I know this is a huge shock for you -" 

Lucius looked up at her. "Do you still love me? Even after what I've done as a Death Eater?" 

"Love knows no bounds, Luke," said Minerva firmly. "A mother will never turn her back on her son...and I can see that you regret your past." 

"My mother - no, step-mother - made me join," said Lucius in a dazed voice. "If you had been my mother..." 

"There's no what ifs now," said Minerva firmly. "But we can start over in the present. Would...would that be all right with you?"

Lucius looked dazed. "I-I would like to...but I need to think about it first. I'm sorry, Professor, Headmaster, but I really must be taking my leave. Narcissa will want to see Draco." 

"It's all right, Lucius," said Albus. "Will we see you sometime soon?" 

"I-I don't know," said Lucius. "I-I hope so." 

With that, he left the room, and within seconds, they heard the Floo roar to life. "M-Malfoy Manor!" 

Minerva looked downcast, but happy at the same time. Regardless, tears fell down her face. "Minnie, whatever are you crying about?" 

"I wanted him to accept me so badly, Al," said Minerva. "And now, he has, but hasn't? I'm so confused!" 

She buried her face into Albus's waiting arms. "There there," he patted her back. "I thought it was perfectly fine, love. I'm very proud of you." 

"But what if he never comes back?" asked Minerva. "I've only just been reunited with him..." 

"He will," replied Albus. "He was only a tad confused, that's all. He has a good head on his shoulders. He has, to quote, ‘grown a spine' as of late, wouldn't you agree?" 

Minerva blushed. "Yes, I think so. He is so different from his father in so much...but in all other aspects, he is truly his father's son." 

"His mother's son, as well, I would hope," said Albus. "But come, Minerva, let's take a walk." 

"Isn't it dark out?" asked Minerva. "It's pretty late already..." 

"Ah, therein lies the secret," came Albus's cryptic reply. He walked out of his office, and down the stairs, where he paced three times in front of an empty wall. 

"Albus, what are you doing?" asked Minerva, confused. Had he finally gone off his rocker? He couldn't have, since he was considerably younger than before. She was about to ask again when a door popped out of nowhere. "Oh my!" 

"This, Minerva, is the Room of Requirement," said Albus, bowing gallantly. "Shall we?" 

She entered. "This isn't a room, Albus..." 

"It's a room that provides your innermost desire," said Albus. "If you suddenly had an urge to use the loo, then this room would be fitted with chamber pots. But I digress. I take it you like this scenery?" 

In front of her were a lake, a small beach, and small woods off to the side. "Albus...this is where you told me...you were...interested in me, isn't it?" 

"Yes," he said simply, his eyes twinkling. "Shall we go down to the beach?" 

The sun was setting in the distance, and the scenery was breathtaking. The colours in the water fused and mixed, like a painter's palette in disarray. As they walked down, she saw that there was a picnic basket, a blanket laid out, and a single candle in the middle of the blanket. "Oh, Albus." 

"We haven't eaten yet, so I thought this might be a good opportunity," said Albus. "Come, sit down." 

They ate and talked, and funnily enough, the sun never fully set, choosing instead to linger in the sky. When they had enough, they sat there, enjoying each other's companionship. She was so tempted to ask him, but it would be unseemly and rude. So she kept quiet. 

"Minerva?" his voice broke the silence. 

"Yes, Albus?" she absentmindedly said, lost in her own thoughts. When he said nothing further, she turned and looked at him. "Wha-?" 

"Hush, love," said Albus. "Minerva McGonagall, you are the love of life. I love the way you are with my children, and I love the way your temper flares. I love the kindness and patience you have even when you're tired, and I love the way you make life so much brighter." He took in a deep breath. "I love the way you tell me that no matter how angry I make you, you'll still love me. And...I'm nothing without you, Minnie." 

He took out a box from his robes, and Minerva gasped, the beginnings of a word formed in her mouth before she looked at him in astonishment. Albus took out the ring, and held it up to her. "Minerva McGonagall,  the love of my life, will you marry me?" 

"Yes," she whispered, the word finally coming out. Then she cried out, "Yes, Albus, a thousand times yes!"

He placed the ring on her finger, and pulled her into an embrace. They kissed long and passionately, in the way a couple half their age would. When they finally pulled apart, they gazed deeply into each other's eyes. They sat there for a long while.

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Harry woke up with a start a 9:05 am, to be precise. "Dada!" 

"Hmmm...?" asked Severus. "Oh, you're up, Harry." 

"Dada?" 

"Yes, Harry?" 

"Can I haf ice cweam?" 

"This early in the morning? Of course not, Aerick James Severus Snape!" 

"Pwease?" 

"No, Harry." 

"Pwetty pwease?" 

"No." 

"I have ice cream," said a familiar voice. 

"Black!!!!" 

"Un'le Pa'foo'!" 

There was a gasp of delighted surprise, and then a yell. "Choc'la' ice cweam!" 

Severus groaned. "Oh, Merlin."